Freedom Costs
by DuskitMermaid
Summary: Merida embarks on an unexpected journey as her beloved freedom is threatened to once again be torn from her unwilling grasp. Beside an unwelcome companion, the princess must change her fate for the second time and find new happiness.
1. Freedom

**Brave is one of my new addictions. Presently I'm working on making Merida a part of my job description, and have been to see Brave four times during the seven it's been at cinemas. I hope I'm able to do her character justice here on FanFiction.**

**Usually my chapters in general are about five times longer than this, but I'll just see if anyone's interested before I begin the actual story. I've had the entire plot planned out in my mind for the past week, so I'd love to share it! :)**

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Angus tore through the forest, Merida with her arms outstretched in utter bliss upon his back. The wind attacked her hair, sending unruly red whips across the cold-flushed skin of her face, tears leaking from her eyes as the air seeped through her eyelashes and stung her otherwise hidden aqua-blue orbs. This was what freedom felt like. Freedom which had seemed so impossible to have a sturdy hold on before somewhat unspeakable mishaps involving her mother only a few months previously...

Peace had been kept throughout the neighbouring clans, and Merida, for once in her life, felt completely at home. She was free to roam, outside of her necessary lessons, of course, as she pleased, and able to become her own person, and eventually the clan's person, when the time came. Her archery, her greatest passion, was now treasured not only by herself and her father, but by her mother, who had finally seen how greatly her daughter had been gifted, though Merida's prized bow still had no business to greet the table at mealtimes.

The exhilarating pounding of Angus' heavy hooves on the thick ground below the pair kept a steady pace, and Merida laughed into the empty forest, lifting her head back to stare ahead of her as her right arm reached for an arrow from behind her back. With barely enough time to adjust to the sight of her surroundings, her slight fingers let go of the arrow in her grasp and it sailed cleanly through the air, landing precisely on a carved marking she'd made in a tree months beforehand, ridding a few forgotten arrows in the process.

At last they'd stopped, overlooking the ocean from one of their most-visited spots upon the cliffs that for the most part lined Clan DonBroch's highlands. Merida fished a number of apples out of her bag and held one up for Angus as she bit into her own, her eyes trained on the golden glimmer of sunset before her. From where she was sitting she could see the docks of her land. There seemed to be a commotion going on down there, and her eyebrows pulled together, forming a small crease beside her left eyebrow. She couldn't remember her father mentioning they were expecting visitors...

She mounted Angus once more, suddenly curious, and the duo made their way down, toward the water, taking a path not commonly used so they would be able to travel faster; she wished to be home for dinner before the sky was completely dark. As it was, she was having difficulty seeing, depending on Angus' better eyesight to carry her through the dimming village. Her mind began to wander elsewhere, which was why it was such a shock to have Angus jerk to a sudden stop below her, resulting in her almost being thrown from his back.

"Angus!" she groaned, her hands clinging tightly to his neck as he huffed and stamped his feet in what appeared to be frustration. As she returned her eyesight to the road in front of her she saw a boy, sprawled on the cobblestone road in front of her, a broken wooden box beside him. He obviously hadn't been looking where he was going, and Merida resisted the urge to laugh at his flustered face.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice angry from the amused expression he could barely make out on her face.

"Excuse me," Merida's tone was sharp, all humour gone, and she sat up straighter in her seat. "You're the one who wasn't looking where he was going!"

"Oh, yes, of course," his words were sarcastic as he got to his feet again and sighed at the broken box, kicking it angrily. "You were obviously well aware of your surroundings to come so close to knocking me over."

"Well, it's a road, isn't it?"

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be riding along here this late at night."

"I came to see what the fuss was about." she began craning her neck, pushing her unwilling hair out of her face as she strained her eyes to see what distance kept from her. "What's happening at the docks?"

The boy picked up his box, holding it together in his strong, sun-browned arms and threw her one last, unfriendly glance before stalking off, calling over his shoulder: "Unexpected guests."

Merida frowned after his retreating form and, seeing how dark the sky was growing, steered Angus off in the direction of her home.

The poor horse was still a little shaky once they'd arrived in his stall. Merida made him comfortable and stroked his nose to calm him down, murmuring in a gentle voice. "Don't worry about it, Angus. It was entirely that idiot's fault." a couple of unintelligible exclamations from servants in the courtyard before her had her turning in wonder as to what they seemed to alarmed about. With one last reassuring pat to her horse she left the stall and followed them into the castle, walking directly to the dining hall where she knew her family would be indulging in dinner.

What she had not expected were the extra additions, nor the way they looked up when she entered, as if she was precisely the person they had been waiting for.

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**Let me know what you think!**

**Chlowie, xo**


	2. Proposal

**I know I only posted the first chapter of this story less than twenty-four hours ago, but I had to get more out as soon as I woke up this morning. Merida's holding me hostage.**

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Merida," her mother was the first to rise, and the princess' eyes slid from the guests at the wide table to the queen, who had made her way to stand before her daughter, pushing back one particularly stubborn curl. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."

The tone in Elinor's voice acted as a warning to Merida; something was wrong. She had hardly been strict about anything since the whole 'bear incident' as the people in the know were calling it, but now her eyes were hard, set on the redhead before her. If Merida looked closely, she could detect...worry? But she did not have time to ask as the three visitors stood from the table, the men bowing politely as she curtsied in response. It was obvious that this was a family; the woman and younger man shared the same light brown hair colour and loose waves while the elder man and his son each looked on with a pair of piercing silver eyes that Merida felt were going right through her.

After a couple of awkward, successfully silent moments Merida cleared her throat uncomfortably, looking to her father for the first time. His usual bold, irresponsible air had vanished, and his thoughtful eyes seemed to avoid his daughter.

"What's...all this then?" Merida pressed.

"We have guests. To see you, actually." a comforting squeeze was offered from mother to daughter as they travelled to the table and took their places. "Dear, this is Lord and Lady Macara, and their son."

"Pleased to meet you." the princess' smile was not returned from the three pairs of stony eyes, but her mind was distracted elsewhere by trying to remember why the name Macara sounded so familiar. Of course, being the princess of the DunBroch clan, she was able to recite the names of many of the clans in her land, but Macara held something different...as if the name had been highlighted in her studies as something important.

The Macara clan Symbol blinked at Merida from around Lady Macara's neck and all at once the princess was overwhelmed with information about the clan leaders in front of her. Of course; the Macara clan. How had she not remembered beforehand? Almost every war or argument in the past twenty years had been brought up by that very clan, and now here was its source sitting right in front of her. Her posture stiffened immediately, and her eyes watched them closely, waiting for the slightest amount of movement to suggest they were going to attack, which she knew was completely irrational. No one would have ever made a move like that at a dinner table in someone else's land. And besides, who was to say they were here for a negative reason anyway? Her mother had said they were guests...to see her...

"I'm sorry," Merida said with a shaky laugh. "But I don't really understand...you're here to see me?"

"Indeed," the king said softly. Merida raised an eyebrow, asking him to continue as her father shook his head at the table. "We are aware of recent rules being allotted in your kingdom -"

"Which was my doing, I assure you," Fergus cut in with a voice thick with gravel.

"-which concern you, Princess." Merida frowned. The only rules that had been _slightly altered_ had to do with her need for freedom, as well as the freedom of choice with suitors for their closest neighbouring clans. How could that have mattered to anyone outside of her homeland?

"We do not appreciate the way your kingdom is being run, and we see it as an insult to our people. Other clans have been talking. You're the laughing stock of Scotland at the present time, and we won't have our country falling into shame as it is."

"The laughing stock of Scotland?" Elinor repeated angrily. "I don't see how it's anyone else's business how _our clan_ is run. And besides, it's not as though anything's set in stone. It was just too soon for -"

Lady Macara cut her off. "Your daughter is seen as a rebellious young woman who will soon lead all women to destroy the balance amongst clans. The way she behaves...it's not right."

"Excuse me," Merida piped up, leaning forward despite herself. "But I don't see how I've ruined the balance of anything! I'm just the way I always was, but I've made people see! I've helped them to understand the way I want to live!"

"Some things are better left misunderstood. Especially those things which have no place in our land. We won't have women of _our_ clan rejecting their gowns for kilts and going off to fight. Weapons! In a woman's hand! It's simply unheard of."

"Not in DunBroch," Fergus growled, his thick finger raising to point threateningly at the opposing clan. "And I suggest you sort out what it is you're here for, because your land's a hell of a long way from here and I don't expect your ladies are jumping at the chance to grab themselves a sword."

"It's only a matter of time," the queen of Macara said gently.

"So what are you suggesting?" Merida folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her chair; a very unlady-like gesture, just to keep them fired up a bit. "Are you going to propose my banishment from my own clan in hope that the ladies of your own won't realise what they're missing out on? The expectations of women aren't fair, and if you truly think -"

"That is not the proposition we have come here to make."

Merida sunk back into her chair once more and waved her arm ungracefully. "Then, by all means, on with your proposal!"

"Merida..." her father gave her a quiet warning which was, again, out of character.

The Macara's clan leader leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the thick wood of the dining hall table. He pinned Merida down with his silver eyes and Merida resisted the urge to look away. "We're proposing marriage between yourself and my son." his hands relaxed and he rested one of them on the young man's shoulders, and for the first time Merida really studied him. The to-be-leader had a strong, handsome face, but it was directed to the opposite wall, his eyes now showing a slight amount of pain at his father's words. So it wasn't _his _idea to come here and try to tie Merida down.

"Marriage..." Merida repeated slowly. "No!" she stood and her mother reached for her, scolding her just by use of her name. "No, this isn't going to happen again! You know as well as all the other clans throughout the land just how close I came to this months ago! What's got you thinking you can change my mind now? Are you really stupid enough to believe I would actually _accept _your proposal?"

"Merida!" Elinor stood from the table and grabbed her daughter's arm, pulling her from the room without another glance at her husband or their uninvited guests.

The pair travelled through the halls, only stopping when they reached the drawing room, the unfinished tapestry of the princess and bear on the wall in front of them. Elinor closed the door behind them and slid the bolt across, barring the rest of the world, then turned to her daughter once more.

"You'd best think before any more words leave your mouth, young lady!"

Merida was taken aback. For a moment, it seemed as though nothing had changed between them. Her mother was acting as she had half a year ago, as if Merida was still expected to become the lady the queen had always hoped she would.

"Mum! Marriage!"

"Do you know who you just raised your voice to, Merida?" Elinor continued, seemingly oblivious to the quivering of her daughter's bottom lip. "The Macara clan, of all people! Merida, you can't just expect them to listen rationally...especially when you're speaking to them like _that_. We must be cautious with these people."

"Then they had best learn their place," Merida began pacing the room, her feet stomping more heavily on the stone floors than was necessary. "This is _our_ land, not theirs! They can't just expect me to sign myself off to their son! I won't tie myself down to a man for the sake of their closure. If they frown upon a woman having her own freedom, that's their problem. I'll marry when _I'm ready!"_

"And how long is that going to take, Merida?" her mother's voice was quiet, and the princess stopped in front of the tapestry, feeling hot tears leak out of her eyes and stain her cheeks. She eyed the picture in front of her; the picture she'd always seen as a symbol of her freedom, and for a second she hated it. It just displayed a lie. Freedom would never come easily. It would never be her own.

"Merida, I don't think you see how dangerous a situation you're in. I wish with all my heart you hadn't been put in it, I truly do, but you have, and you must think clearly. You say that this is not their land, but they can make it their own. They have a large clan full of strong fighters, and you know as well as I that we wouldn't stand a chance against them. Not even with allies. Their power means they have more control over neighbouring clans than we do. They've taken land for themselves before and I know they wouldn't hesitate to do it again."

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Merida groaned, not turning to face her mother. "I don't see what their problem is; can't they just leave things be and accept change? The world's growing, and the sooner they learn women aren't just to be married off the better. I won't settle to be a wife because it's apparently the right thing to do. I'll do it for myself, _if_ the right time ever comes."

Her mother sighed and walked to stand directly behind her daughter, stroking the immense heap of red hair in front of her. "Think of your clan, Merida. Think of your people. Would you truly jeopardise their safety for the sake of your freedom?"

Merida turned to her mother and buried her face in the woman's chest, sobbing gently as the queen's arms wrapped around her daughter. The princess could faintly detect the feeling of the woman's lips atop her head and nuzzled into the comfort of her mother's form.

"It thought I'd finally won," she sobbed, clinging to the back of the queen's gown. "I thought I could live my life how _I_ would write it."

"They're not going to give up, Merida. They made sure we knew that before you arrived tonight. I'm so sorry, dear," she lifted her daughter's chin, revealing she, too, had been crying, and pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead.

"Go and get ready for bed. I'll return and give them your answer."

Merida wandered pathetically back to her sleeping quarters and threw the heavy door shut, tearing at her dress angrily until she was wearing just her underclothing (minus the respectable lady's corset). She rolled the thin white sleeves of her chemise up to her elbows and grabbed the old sword left on her floor, throwing it against the four posters of her bed, hardly aware of when the blade came too close to her face or arms.

Marriage. It was absurd! It had never seemed like a posibility to her; not even when clans Macintosh, MacGuffin and Dingwall were trying to seek her hand. But the dangerous air this new clan set off told her she was wrong in thinking freedom would keep within her grasp.

There were, of course, positive outcomes of this marriage. A unity between clans DunBroch and Macara. DunBroch would be safe from the opposing clan's typically uncalled for wrath. She would be giving her people peace of mind with the assurance that they would have a larger, more successful army on their side should any other clans declare war against them...

Could she give up her life for that?

Merida's watery eyes looked out the window at the now black sky, her quick breath appearing in gusts of small clouds in front of her in the chilly air despite the glow of sweat upon her skin from her one-sided fight. _Wife._ The word meant chains. A wife abided by her husband. A wife was not to have her say if her husband did not approve. A wife was to watch, not take action.

If the Macara clan thought that by printing this name on Merida's skin they would be assuring their land peace again at having controlled a rebellious teenage girl, they were sorely wrong.

Merida would make sure they were well aware of that.


	3. Escape

**Thank you so, so much to everyone who is adding my story to their alerts and favourites! I'm amazed at how many there are of you! I feel so, so lucky - you've made my week! This story is so much fun to write, and I'm so glad there seem to be so many people out there who are enjoying it.**

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Merida's mind had been up until all hours of the night, either wallowing or working to find a way out of what was a guaranteed chaining of her life. She had gone so far as to consider witchcraft, but the disaster which had led her and her mother to happiness beforehand was simply not be worth anything in the world. There would never be the guarantee for freedom if she returned to that old hag...if she could ever find her.

Books were the best thing, in her opinion. She could sort through books of laws and rules of her land and try to find a way out of this legally. There had to be _something_ to assure her she was not entitled to do this. What the Macara clan were doing was wrong, and she would not stand around and watch her clan be under threat just so their opposition could have the slightest piece of mind.

She climbed out of her warm nest of blankets and cushions and donned her favourite dress, then cloak, pulling it over her hair to hide herself from anyone she would see in the halls. She did not wish to stop for conversation today.

Her family usually slept late, so she felt comfortable wandering around the halls as she pleased without having to keep much of a look out. There were only a few maids running about, and the smell of someone's breakfast wafted down the halls closest to the kitchens. She took a great, teasing breath, but did not stop.

The library was dark and silent when she arrived. She tied her cloak more firmly around herself, but dropped her hood to draw the curtains and let light into the room. Once she was satisfied and able to see the titles of the books in front of her she began wandering up and down aisles, her finger sometimes brushing along the spines to make out the words wearing away before her.

Ten minutes later Merida was struggling to pull her hood back over her hair whilst holding four thick books as she walked back out of the library. She checked the hall outside for any other dwellers, then made her way quickly to her favourite drawing room, pausing before the door.

The triplets were grinning at something with their ears pressed up against the thick wood of the door, unaware of her presence. She narrowed her eyes as Harris lifted his fingers to his lips to order silence and Hamish and Hubert nodded enthusiastically, then, curious, she cleared her thoat. The three of them froze, their wide blue eyes turning to her, all three of them looking very much like they'd been caught out doing something that wouldn't be approved of.

"And what are you three up to at such an early hour of the morning? I'm surprised you're awake." They just grinned innocently in response, Hamish tilting his head in the direction of the drawing room door, where they'd been kneeling moments before.

"I guess I'll have to find out for myself," Merida sighed, walking through them to get to the room. She pushed the door open with her hip slowly - her arms still full of books - testing it to make sure nothing would happen to her, then let it fall shut behind her, barring her brothers from the room. Her eyes quickly scanned the entire room, checking for booby traps and dead rodents, landing on something completely unexpected.

The Macara's son sat in the very arm chair Merida had been anticipating, a quill and parchment paper in his hands and his feet propped on the coffee table before him, beside a cup of steaming tea. She huffed and aggravated sigh and he looked up from the pages he'd been writing on, his face blank upon seeing her.

"You seem to have made yourself at home." she said accusingly. He pulled his feet off the table without looking away from her eyes, his expression still unreadable. "Don't just look at my like I've got three heads," she made her way over and dropped the books on the table, causing his undrunk tea to splash onto the thick wood. She took the seat diagonal from him and studied the pages in his lap. "What're you doing?"

"Writing a letter." his voice was quiet, and she still couldn't read what he was thinking as he returned his eyes to them and folded them, putting them into an envelope which had already been addressed.

"Una Macara..." she read before he could pull it out of her eyesight. "Is that your sister?"

"I don't have any sisters." he said with finalily. She grinned as she realised he was trying to make her be quiet.

"A cousin perhaps?" his eyes flicked to her and away, annoyed, and her smile widened. "Oh! It's not, is it? It's your girl! You're writing to your love." she laughed at his expense, clutching her stomach, until the reality of the situation sunk in, powered by the pained expression on her fiancé's face. Being as stubborn as she was, she did not release her pride by showing her true feelings and instead crossed her arms, pinning him with a hard expression as he threw the now-sealed envelope on the table in front of him and put his head in his hands.

"What's she like?"

"I don't wish to discuss this with you."

"Is she pretty?"

"Yes. Her hair doesn't look like a haystack." his voice was icy and Merida's cheeks puffed out as she sucked on her lips to hold back any rude retorts. She glared at him as he lifted his tea to his lips and took a small sip, dry reaching after a moment and pressing his hand tightly to his mouth. A snicker so quiet Merida wondered if she'd really heard it sounded from the door and she snorted before she could help herself, wondering what had been placed in Macara's tea. She silently called her brothers geniuses; for such a young age they were quite clever, messing with the Macara's on such a small scale that they would probably not even be considered rather than caught.

He began toying with the sealed letter and Merida watched rather than look at his eyes. "You didn't help in planning this."

"Our marriage? No," she could see that he didn't look up, either.

"You didn't object at all?"

Their eyes stayed trained on his fingers and it took a few moments for her to recieve an answer. "My parents wouldn't appreciate an objection. I'm sure you've realised they like to have things their own way. I wouldn't even think to go against them."

"You're their _son._ You're as much a part of their clan as they are."

"I'm not the clan leader." he finally looked up, and Merida was unable to look away as for the first time they looked upon each other with anything but hatred. "If there is something my father hasn't agreed on himself, it's not worth worrying about."

"I'm sorry,"

He snorted. "For being stupid enough to think you could get away with acting the way you are? Me, too."

"Look, if we're going to make this work at all, you're going to need to stop acting like that to me!"

"No one said this was going to work." his eyes were dangerous, and Merida flinched away as he stood to lean overher, ashamed of herself immediately. She'd always naturally been so strong and sure of herself, but just the way she felt around these people changed her. There was something that didn't work when she was with them, as if their presence alone made her feel more pathetic and vulnerable. She composed herself before she was sure he'd seen the gesture, but his eyebrow quirked to let her know he was aware.

"This marriage will be nothing more than a unity between clans. I'm not here for you. I do not love you. I will not ever love you. This is for Scotland, not our happiness, and if in future I have to turn against your clan I will not hesitate. You _will_ be a Macara and you _will _begin acting like a lady. For the sake of our country."

Merida pushed herself roughly out of the chair, curling around him somewhat gracefully without letting their bodies touch at all and left the room in a hurry, vaguely aware that her brothers were no longer anywhere to be seen. Turn against the DunBroch clan? After a unity? Such a thing was unheard of, and still fear had settled in her stomach at the thought. If they really whipped her into shape and had her acting like a respectable lady - and she was stubborn to admit she was a little worried they would succeed - she would not be allowed to stand against her husband. She would have to agree with him. To fight. Against her family.

She rushed back to her room without thinking, grabbing her bow and arrows and securing them to her body beneath her cloak. Her legs carried her quickly, only skidding to a halt on the stone floors once she was downstairs and her parents and their guests appeared before her.

"Good morning Merida," her mother's tone was dead, as if she were working to be void of any emotion; similar to the woman who sat across from her. Her father gave her what was supposed to be a friendly smile, but it appeared slightly pained. The princess eyed the gathering silently, her mind screaming at the king and queen of Macara.

"We were just discussing wedding plans." her mother continued in the same voice. "You dress fitting will be tomorrow morning. Our guests have expressed their interest in your marriage being before the end of the week."

Without saying anything more, Merida continued to walk briskly to the door of the castle, which she knew would lead her to fresh air and sunshine. She lifted her face to the sky and closed her eyes, feeling tears slip out of her closed eyes. Despite her stong and demanding demeanor, the princess of DunBroch had never been opposed to crying when she situation called for it, and this one definitely did.

She was aware of the heavy footsteps behind her; the odd stomp of a boot followed by the clop of wood against stone, but she didn't turn. Not even when a heavy hand landed on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

"I'm sorry, my dear."

She groaned and rubbed her hands against her face, walking further away from the castle. Her father followed beside her and she leaned into his arm, seeking familiarity, and wiped her eyes on his arm. "I'm not ready for this! I don't want to leave my home...be a _Macara,_ she sneered, not caring if anyone else had followed them outside to hear her. She turned to her father and watched him with watery eyes that broke his heart. "I'm a DunBroch! I can't change that. Especially not for _them."_

"I thought we'd find a way out of this." he admitted quietly, wiping a thick finger across her cheek to remove her tears. "It just doesn't seem possible that this much could happen to our family in one year."

"And all of it's my fault!" Merida exploded, turning and throwing her arms in the air. "It was _my _fault for angering everyone last time, it was _my _fault for what happened to mum, it was_ my_ fault for you almost killing her -" Fergus flinched, but waited for his daughter to stop. "And _now_ I've dragged our clan into the worst possible situation! But for _me._ Am I really that terrible that I just don't think of anyone else?"

"You can be awfully self-centered at times, lass," her red-rimmed aqua eyes turned to him sharply, and he offered a half-hearted chuckle. "But that's the way I made you. And I wouldn't have you any other way."

She sighed and dried her face with her palms one last time. When she spoke again her voice was quieter, more relaxed. "And I can't stand him. At all. I tried, I really did. We just don't work, and I don't see it happening any time soon." she chewed on her bottom lip as her father watched her, then rested her hand on her bow. "I need to be away from this. Even if it's only for an hour. I'm going to shoot."

"I'll cover for you." he assured her, lowering to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Just be back before dinner. This could be one of the last meals you get to stuff your gob with cake."

A small, sad giggle escaped her lips and she strode toward Angus' stall, looking over her shoulder as her father waved her off. Settling for riding bare-back with the need to get away from the castle, she swung her leg over her horse and, seeming to understand her, he began galloping from the courtyard, out of the castle gates and toward the forest.

Morning would bring the reality of her marriage crashing down upon her shoulders, but here, riding where no one could see her or fret over her boyish attitude, Merida felt as though she really had escaped it. Right now, she could be Merida, whereas tomorrow she would begin her journey to becoming a woman.

Or so she thought.

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**I would love, love, love, LOVE some reviews! They are honestly what keeps me writing.**

**Adventure begins in the next chapter.**


	4. Attack

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed since I posted the lat chapter. I love making friends here!**

**Shorter chapter today, but I'll get the next one up really soon.**

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The princess had buried her face into Angus' mane as they ran, her tears constantly leaking from her eyes and sitting on her cheeks, her skin itchy and salt-soaked. When she finally looked up again she wasn't entirely sure where she was, but guessed they'd been moving for around forty minutes. She pulled her horse to a stop and looked around, wiping her arm roughly on her sleeve and throwing her leg over his back to dismount. They were in a section of the forest which thinned out, and Merida didn't think twice about grabbing her bow and an arrow from the quiver around her waist and shooting it cleanly into a knot in a tree a fair distance in front of her.

She kept shooting, grunting with anguish with each arrow she released, her tears soon becoming too thick and overpowering and causing her to miss over and over again until she wans't hitting the trees at all. She fell into a sobbing heap, grass staining the knees of her dress and threw her bow a few feet in front of her.

"I can't shoot." she sobbed. Angus huffed behind her, as if in reassurance. "It's happening, isn't it? I'm becoming a wife." she choked on the word and sprang to her feet, her mind set. She could win this one last time. She ripped each of the arrows out of the trees and collected the rest from where they'd landed on the ground then went back to her starting position. Raising both of her arms and taking a long breath to steady herself she narrowed her eyes on her target...

The sound of a stick snapping to her left startled her, and she immediately had the feeling that she was not alone. She frowned and lowered her bow once more, looking closely into the trees around her, right where they became thick again.

Angus began making frightened sounds behind her and she shushed him, sure now that there was someone else here. The horse was smart with things like this, and Merida trusted him enough to begin her way slowly to the trees, her bow tight in her grasp.

"Hello?" her voice came out weaker than she'd been expecting, and her stubborn attitude immediately blamed her tears.

There was a pause, then another sound of a snapping stick, seemingly further away. The sound was thick, as if something heavy had broken more than just a twig. Rather than risk not being able to shoot clearly again (she didn't think she would be able to handle missing one more time), she decided to investigate.

"Come on, Angus," she murmured, knowing this was already a lost cause. She peered back over her shoulder to see the huge beast back a few steps in the opposite direction, then rolled her eyes at his lack of bravery. "You're missing out on adventure." she sung quietly, her heart increasing at the thoughts of what could lie before her. Images of Mor'du flashed in her mind, but she called herself stupid. Mor'du was finished; her very eyes had seen that. Nothing ahead of her could be even the slightest bit as threatening...

...then why was intuition telling her to turn and run?

Forcing her feet on and on, she left Angus behind, waiting every few minutes to listen for a sound that would draw her close. Over and over again, she cursed her stupidity. This was her last day to herself before the Macara clan began to claim her for themselves. She shouldn't have been spending it chasing after something she couldn't see.

She walked for well over ten minutes, her feet perfectly silent except for the rare moments when her boot would catch on the twisted root of a tree or step on a twig her eyes hadn't noticed. The forest became too dark and tall around her, and the slight feeling of claustrophobia presented itself. The redhead was a lot fonder of open spaces then being caged, but she forced herself on.

There were a couple of minutes of nothing to draw her on and she stopped, closing her eyes as if to hear better and turning her head to the side. A shuffling, animalistic sound came closer and closer, and her aqua orbs snapped open as she turned, her breath leaving her all at once. She forgot how to recieve more oxygen, and for a moment simply stared with her mouth parted in a silent plea for help.

Three wolves were watching her from a small gap in the trees not ten feet from her. They began stalking toward her and she raised her bow, pulling the arrow back taught and aiming at the one in front. _God give me my aim back..._

Under the threat from her weapon, the wolves continued to walk toward her and numb legs retreated of their own accord, the princess never turning from the beasts. It was only when her back collided with the trunk of a thick tree that she turned and tore through the forest, well aware of the sounds of their feet on the mulch behind her.

She knew she would never be able to out-run wolves, so turned and aimed in a single second, adrenaline powering her enough to return her perfect aim as the arrow sailed under the first wolf's jaw, causing him to stagger before falling limp to the ground. She strung another arrow as she continued to run, faster than she ever had before, glancing over her shoulder every half a moment as the wolves became closer, closer.

Her second arrow landed in the next wolf's left front shoulder, and a yelp was released into the otherwise dead forest as the injured animal lost its balance and almost caused the third to be tripped and off its feet as well. Merida took her chance at their slight hesitation to force her feet to go faster still, her hand shaking violently as she attempted to retrieve a third arrow, coming up short every time with her concentration purely on the unmarked path ahead of her.

The sounds of unmerciful paws behind her were becoming closer again, and she began to give up hope, thoughts of her family and how they would never know what happened to her running through her mind. The image of the Macara clan posessed her for a moment, and for that one moment marriage did not seem like such a bad idea. She'd been foolish to try to run from it. She could have lived out her life unhappy, but still with the love of her family. Leaving them to live elsewhere in Scotland was bad enough, but they did not deserve to lose their daughter and never know what had become of her.

She took a shaky breath, her lungs burning from her run, her feet catching on anything they possibly could, knowing this would be her last moment before she felt wolf teeth sink into her flesh...

A grunt was heard from behind her, and her terrified mind did not immediately decipher it as human. The heavy sound of what she recognised was a sword meeting its target was heard, and then nothing more. It took a few seconds for her to turn her head and wonder why she hadn't been killed, then more to stop her feet from moving.

Her legs were shaking terribly as she took in the bloody sight before her, the third wolf struggling from its fatal wound on the floor of the forest. A cloaked figure holding a red-stained sword was huddled not far from it, watching it closely should it get to its feet again.

Merida sighed in relief, her breath leaving her in short gasps as her legs threatened to fall out from underneath her. She forced them to move, hardly able to feel anything aside from the firey ache in her chest and studied the figure as best she could. It was only when it lifted its head that she took a quick step back, resulting in her falling to her backside with her hand to her mouth, as if afraid someone of her own kind would turn on her. The adrenaline still hadn't left her, and she was wary of every little thing around her.

What she had not been expecting, however, was the familiar face in front of her own.

"You,"

* * *

**Who is it? Anyone who can tell me wins a great big air bear hug! :)**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Chlowie, xo**


	5. Companion

**Phew! I have NOT had a spare moment. I'm posting this between two auditions for Chicago before I've even had a shower to get cake smell off me from work. Hope it's worth it!**

**And thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. They make my day.**

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The hazel eyes narrowed down at her as the boy stood, his sword still gripped tightly in his shaking hand. The wolf on the ground before them kept up with its weakening movements, and for the moment neither of them paid it any attention.

Her mind had accepted his face as familiar immediately, though Merida hadn't known where she'd seen him before now. Then the memory of only a couple of nights previous came back, and the humorous image of the boy sprawled on the ground after being nearly barrelled over by Angus greeted her. Sure enough, the same longish

"What are _you_ doing out here?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you the same question, _my lady?"_

Despite the situation, fire still roared inside her at his discriminative words and she straightened her head proudly, still not trusting her legs to stand. She intended to say something smart, but words would not come quickly enough to her, so he took action instead.

"Did you kill the others?"

"Wha..."

"The other wolves! How many were there? Did you kill them?"

"I killed one...I injured another. If I'm not mistaken, he won't be able to travel far and'll bleed to death."

To her surprise, the boy before her began chuckling. She frowned at him as if he were crazy. "What's your problem, then? Did the wolf knock you in the head before you were able to stop it?"

"Sorry," he held out his hand, still chortling. "I just never expected to hear such words from a young lady."

"And yet _you_ helped in their murder." Merida said, her voice calm. The boy immediately stopped laughing and gave her an offended look.

"You're quick with your tongue. If only you were as fast on your feet; you would have been dog meat if it weren't for me."

"Thank you for your help." Merida righted herself and turned up her nose with an ignorant mannor. "But I will not be needing it further." she began to march back in the direction she had come from, surprised at how far she'd travelled. She looked over her shoulder at the boy, who was now watching her with a small smirk, replacing his sword but not making a move.

"Are you sure you won't get lost?"

"I know the direction I ran in. I can find my way back."

"Very good, then." he began walking alongside her. "I wasn't too sure myself."

Merida snorted, but did not say anything further as the two continued on their walk. Merida kept her eye out for anything that may seem familiar; particularly the carcass of the wolf she killed, or the clearing where she'd been shooting with Angus, but neither stood out to her. The sun rose higher in the sky so it shone directly above the trees through to them and warmed them uncomfortably while they were walking despite the frosty air. After a half an hour of walking in what they had thought was a straight line, the boy beside her stopped.

"Well, you officially lost us."

"I lost us?" she repeated. _"You _were the one who said you didn't have any idea about where we were going. No, we're not lost. We just need to keep going. We'll have to leave the forest at some point."

"And walk upon another clan's land? Are we even going the right way?"

"I just walked back the way I'd run."

"So you didn't make any turns while trying to get away from the beasts?"

Merida opened her mouth to argue with him, then hesitated, thinking back over the path she had made. All she could remember was her feet pounding across the mulchy ground, not thinking about going in a certain direction, but just trying to escape.

"I see," the boy murmured when Merida hadn't given him an answer.

"No," Merida moaned, rubbing her face with her hands, as if to pull back any sense of direction. "If we keep walking we'll find our way. The forest _will _end."

"We could be walking in circles for days and not even realise." he said reasonably. "And what if you've just walked us farther into the centre? What if our walk to DunBroch just gets longer and longer?"

"Well you were no help!" the redhead exclaimed. How dare he blame this on her? Merida found it difficult to take the blame for anything, and she wouldn't allow him to accuse her of losing them when he had walked just as far in the wrong direction as she had. "C'mon. We'll just keep walking this way and see where we get."

"And what happens when the sun sets and we're still surrounded by trees?"

Merida's blue eyes skimmed the area around her, suddenly afraid of more wolves. "We'll sleep under the stars, won't we? Unless you want to build us a shelter."

"Just go,"

Night did eventually fall. There hadn't been any sign of something familiar to either of them, and conversation had simply not existed. The boy's attitude was too close for comfort to Merida's own, and she didn't appreciate his smart remarks. She guessed he'd felt the same way, and not wanting to be outsmarted by a lady, both had held their tongues.

There were no clouds in the small amount of sky they could see, so a shelter would not be necessary. On finding a small clearing they both gathered sticks and Merida lit a fire skillfully without a word. She only looked up once the boy began laughing once more.

"What is it now?" she sighed.

"Where did you learn to light a fire? You don't seem at all worried about staying overnight without a roof over your head."

"Are you making another comment about my sex?" Merida dumped more collected sticks on the growing flames and rested her hands on her hips. "I think it's about time you realised women can do just about everything men can! I'm so _sick_ of the way we're treated."

She turned and stoked the fire without real meaning, and ignored the quiet apology that came from her companion. She sighed and watched the flames for a few moments. This seemed it was going to be the longest journey of her life, if the pair continued to bicker as they were. She sat beside him and stretched her frozen fingers to the flames, aware of the sight of her breath in the air. Winter was definitely on the way, and the nights were becoming almost unbearable. She unpinned her cloak from around her shoulders once she'd warmed up a little, intending to use it as a blanket later that night.

"What's your name?" she asked quietly. _Might as well _try_ to get along with him..._

"Airril DunBroch." he didn't look at her as he spoke.

"You _are_ from the DunBroch clan? I've never seen you."

"I work on the ships." he explained, lowering his eyes to the base of the fire. "I don't see land a lot of the time."

Merida nodded her understanding. Multiple ships guarded those clans closest to the waters, incase of intrusion from other clans or countries. The sailors were usually raised into the duty through their family and lived their life away from the day-to-day routine of their peers living in the highlands. Merida had been on one ship in her life, just on duty with her father when she had been young. She hadn't ever been to sea though, as women were thought of as bad-luck bringers, and many captains wouldn't allow it. This thought struck her and made her wonder if this was the reason for all of Airril's sexist comments. The idea made her want to yell at him some more. Before she could ask, however, he'd spoken again.

"And what's your name?"

She was startled; usually people knew who she was. But this boy hadn't made any suggestion that he was aware she was royalty to their own clan. Apparently those who lived away from land also lived away from common knowledge of the family ruling their land. It was nice, in a way, being treated as an equal. Usually anyone outside of royal blood would let her have her way, but deep down she was enjoying treating Airril as she was. She hoped her name wouldn't strike him and tell him who she was.

"Merida,"

He looked up at her at once, and she froze for a moment, sure he knew who she was. But his eyes were calm and he offered a small smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Why aren't you on the water now?" she asked in order to keep him speaking. The dark forest around her closed around them and she felt as though they were trapped inside a jar. The contact between Airril and herself was the only thing to distract her and, in a way, she needed it.

"The Macara Clan's arrival. We were ready to defend, just in case the situation called for it, when they sailed into DunBroch, but there wasn't a struggle. My captain insisted we stay on land, just while they're visiting, to be safe. They're not exactly known for their placid behaviour, and the clan would need all the help they could get should war break out."

"And now you're completely lost on land." she joked weakly. "What were you doing in the middle of the forest anyway?"

"I didn't intend to end up here," he reclined against his rolled up cloak and untied his hair, mussing it as he relaxed and closed his eyes. "I hadn't walked far into the forest at all when the wolves first made their appearance. I killed two of them and thought I'd lost the others, until you got caught up in all of it. Then I felt the only thing I could do was follow you to safe your life..." he paused, opening one eye as he looked up her, then grinned. "You can thank me later."

"I would have been able to handle it."

"It would have torn you apart." he said it as if it were a joke. "I'm surprised someone like you could even get rid of _one_, let alone two."

"You don't believe I can defend myself?"

His eyes opened again, and Merida saw humour, though it was accompanied by honesty. "I don't believe you're as good a shot as you think you are. Women aren't trained for fighting. You should remember that before you try to build yourself a career out of it - where are you going?"

"Put your hand against that tree." she instructed, pointing to the moderately small tree beside him. He frowned as if she were crazy and she grabbed her bow and a single arrow, walking to the edge of the clearing and watching him closely as he did what she said. "Now part your fingers."

"You aren't serious," he said, all joking now gone from his voice. "Even if I was sure you were capable of this I wouldn't participate! It's too dark; I can hardly see you from where you - ah!"

The arrow was released before he could realise what had happened and it landed in the small space between his index and third finger, resting against the skin on either side of it, though not damaging him in anyway.

"If you asked me to shoot a nightshade berry off your nose, I wouldn't miss." she insisted as she walked back to him. His hand was still frozen against the tree and he only let it fall to the ground as she ripped her arrow out of the bark and sat back beside him. "You ought to open your eyes a little more and see women aren't completely weak."

"Well our clan's enough of an example of that, isn't it? Everyone knows Queen Elinor has the real say over what happens in the highlands."

Merida smirked, but didn't comment. "I expected you, as a sailor, to have no lenience on the subject."

"Then it seems you discriminate as much as you dislike others to." he said easily, rolling over so he was facing away from her. "I'm sleeping now. I'll be getting up as soon as it's light enough to find my way out of here, and I don't care if you're with me or not."


	6. Injury

Sure enough, Airril woke Merida rudely by ripping her cloak-turned-blanket from her tightly curled form as the sky turned from pink and gold to blue. Frost covered the leaves around them and Merida's teeth were chattering so much she hardly noticed the grumbling her stomach was protesting with. Thoughts of the pastries her brothers had no doubt stolen from the kitchen since she'd last seen them filled her mind and made her will to get home even stronger.

"Breakfast," Airril dumped a small bundle of wild vegetables at her feet and Merida's shoulders slumped at the selection; at least _he_ knew what was poisonous and edible.

"This looks delicious," she said sarcastically with a wide yawn.

"Sorry I can't whip up something spectacular." his tone was mildly offended as he sat himself across from her. "If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly living like royalty right now."

"I've noticed." she mumbed, beginning on her breakfast.

They continued walking, always following the one direction so they would have more chance of finding the end of their path sooner. While they travelled, Merida asked Airril questions, since he seemed so persistant on closing himself from the world and herself. Despite their similar humour, Merida detected an underlying bitterness in her new companion, and was determined to rid him of that. She knew her patience would not last long with such an attitude if they were stranded for a longer time than anticipated.

"Do you enjoy your time on land?" she asked.

"Not at all," he returned. "Sure, it's nice to clean myself up properly and have access to fresh food, but society reminds me of my lack of family."

She watched him silently, reminding herself to being _that_ one up later as he continued. "But I'd rather just be out on the water, away from it all. Coming back just reminds me I have a duty to my clan and I'm under the leader's control. Out on the water there's a greater sense of freedom; I hardly remember I'm part of the Dunbroch clan."

"Don't you want to be part of the clan?"

"Not particularly," he murmured, raising his eyebrow in a cocky way Merida hated as her boot slipped on a rock in the way. She wished she'd at least dragged Angus along with her so she could seem more agile. "I have a grudge against Dunbroch's leaders." he pinned her with a look as he said this, and she tried to seem nonchalant on the subject. "I won't forgive them for taking my life away before I'd even started living."

"Is this the family thing again?" her words were thoughtless, and her feet paused when he turned and glared at her. She spoke again, her voice more careful and gentle. "What happened?"

"I doubt you wish for me to trouble you with my pities,"

"No, no, I'm sorry," she insisted, rushing forward a few steps to catch up with him. Her dress was constantly being snagged on the floor of the forest, and she had it pulled up in her hands to reveal her boots, her shins shown to just under her knees. She wasn't going to play the part of respectable young lady when lost in the forest with a boy who seemed he simply didn't care. "Tell me. I'll listen."

He didn't say anything for a long, time, but Merida kept her eyes on him. Finally, he spoke. "You know more about me than I do about you." was all he said.

"I'm not worth hearing about," she insisted, her pulse quickening at the thoughts of him discovering she was the princess of his clan. What would he do? Turn against her? Had she done something personally to 'ruin his life'? She doubted it, but she still wondered.

"A girl who thinks herself a man is insteresting enough." he joked, grinning to himself and Merida rolled her eyes.

"I do not think I'm a man! I just don't wish to live like I'm told a lady should."

"Ah, yes, my mistake." he chuckled to himself. "And how did _you _find yourself out here?"

"I came out here to get away from my family for a while."

"You ran away."

"No! I didn't run away! I was planning to go back before sunset, but then those wolves attacked me, and you showed up, and -"

"Why did you want time from your family?"

She weighed her answer, unsure of how much she should say. "They don't understand me."

"They treat you too much like a lady." he guessed. "They don't appreciate your love for shooting things, and they've tried to introduce you to a comb."

"They don't mind the way I act." she said through clenched teeth. "But I've been given a proposal, and there's really no way out of it."

"A marriage proposal?"

"Yes,"

He was silent for a moment, then gave her a blank look through half-closed eyes. "Congratulations."

"Well I don't _want_ to get married," she continued. "That's why I'm out here!"

"You want to be alone as you go on in your life?" his voice had taken a slightly aggravated tone, and Merida sensed she was stepping on dangerous territory with someone who apparently didn't have anything but the sea.

"I want to get married one day, but not yet. I'm not ready to lose my freedom."

"And what if you miss your chance? What if, when you're ready, it's too late."

"That doesn't mean I should take the chance I'm offered now." Merida said sternly. "I had no choice in this whatsoever. And the one time I actually tried to talk to my fiancé he was rude and horrible, so no. I would gladly miss my chance if it meant getting out of a relationship that just - won't - work!"

Airril sighed as he continued walking, and he didn't look back at Merida as he spoke. "Did you ever think _you_ might be the problem?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, in the short time we've known each other, you've managed to wear on my nerves a score of times at the very least -"

"Well then, would you mind telling me what I've done so I can correct it next time?"

"First of all, watch where you're riding. You almost crushed me for an introduction."

"That was completely your fault," Merida muttered darkly.

_"What's more," _he stressed the words to bring the attention back on himself. "Would be your smart remarks...your constant unlady-like presence, and your snoring was enough to keep me awake for a good portion of the night."

Merida's mouth hung open as he looked back to give her an amused look. "Ugh, you're so rude! Speaking to a _lady_ like she's some -"

"As if she's a man?" he guessed. "Isn't that what you've been aiming for, _my lady?"_

"Ugh," the princess just snorted and turned her face away from him.

Small, more friendly conversations were held between them for the rest of the morning. Nothing too personal, however, as both knew getting too intimate would cause their personalities to clash once more. Their stomachs were complaining loudly at five hours to sunset, and Airril did his best to forage what hadn't been taken by the cold weather for them to eat. Merida accepted without anything more than a grumpy look and dreamed of apples while she bit into something raw and quite sour tasting.

Just as night was falling they stumbled upon a thin river winding its way though the woods.

"Perfect," Airril said decidedly, kicking a round rock into the running water. "We'll just follow this from now on. It has to lead somewhere."

"To the top of a mountain," Merida sung sarcastically. Airril ignored her and followed the river, his boots occasionally sloshing through the water that rose too high.

They camped on a small hill when their feet grew too tired and the woods too dark to see. The sound of the river was ever-present over the small fire they built and Merida frowned into the flames, her hands pressed on her demanding stomach as its gurgles got louder and louder.

"It's too dark to find anything more to eat." Airril told her from across the fire. "You should have eaten everything I gave you for lunch."

"It's not all flavourless vegetables, you know." she sneered.

"Then please," he leaned back in a superior way. "A roast with all the trimmings. What do you propose? Tree bark? Dirt, perhaps?"

Merida rolled her eyes and grabbed her bow and an arrow, standing and looking around with narrowed eyes. As if on cue, a pair of fluorescent eyes peered out at her from the distance and she let the arrow go surely. There was a quiet thud of the arrow hitting its target and she looked unmodestly toward Airril. "Dinner."

Fox would not have been either Merida nor Airril's first pick for dinner, but both were greatful to have something real to eat. Airril moved to sit closer to the redhead as she readied their meal, watching carefully as her fingers and his dagger did quick work of the fox before setting it over the flames. Merida wiped her bloody hands on the inside of her dress, followed by his dagger and handed it back without saying a word.

"You're quite handy, aren't you?"

"I used to camp in the highlands with my family all the time." she sighed for an explanation. "My mother would have died if she knew everything my father taught me. But, I guess it wasn't all for naught in the long run."

"Aye, I think I'd be lost out here on my own." Airril chuckled, tugging at the ends of his hair uncomfortably. "Thanks,"

"That's alright." she murmured with a small smirk.

}~*~{

Merida twitched in her sleep as something cold fell upon the tip of her nose and left a slight stinging sensation. She pushed the thought away and tried to fall back further into her dreams, but was interrupted again by another. And another. Her eyes cracked open the tiniest of amounts and she grunted, thowing her upper leg over to kick Airril in the chest. The boy had been wringing out his wet hair over her to wake her, and laughed at the angry expression on the princess' face.

"You slept in," he said, as if his behaviour had been acceptable. "I took a bath in the creek. I suggest you do the same before we start off again. It'll be too cold to do so tonight."

"Well don't watch me then." she muttered, her feet hitting the ground heavily until she was down by the water. She checked one last time to make sure he hadn't followed her, then removed her boots for the first time since getting herself lost; the nights had been too cold to sleep without them. Her bare feet immediately froze as the water hit them and she gritted her teeth, pulling her dress over her head so she was left in her chemise. It needed a wash as well, and she wouldn't risk going without it should Airril decide to ignore her wish.

"Oh, lovely," she said bitterly as she slowly waded into the deeper part of the water. She held her breath, and all at once dipped her head under the water, her chest contracting with the feeling that she'd been frozen in ice. She breathed deeply upon rising again and sought out the larger rocks on the floor of the pool of water to hoist herself as much as possible out of its reach as she rubbed her hands along her face and body, doing her best to rid herself of any marks and stains she'd come across.

Once she'd hurriedly washed her face she decided she'd had enough and followed the taller rocks out of the water. Her right foot gingerly stepped on a pointed one, but as her left lifted to get her out quickly she slipped, and a slight pain was felt through the numbness of her legs. She had to look down to make sure she'd been uninjured, but knew the clear water quickly blossoming with red wasn't a good side.

She swore quietly under her breath, shaking her head and hobbled the rest of the way out of the water to sit on the stones marking it. Lifting her foot gently to her lap she looked closer, and her stomach lurched at what she couldn't yet feel. Her foot had been sliced cleanly through the middle, from just underneath her heel to the pad before her largest toe. It was thick and deep, and the skin rolled back on itself on either side, assuring her the next part of her journey with Airril would not be a comfortable one. As it was, she did not want to walk back up to the camp they'd set up, a ridiculous fear of half of her foot falling clean off and hanging by the skin. She shook her head at the immature thought, but held both sides of her feet together despite herself as she pushed it back into the water to clear off the blood obscuring the wound.

"Stupid rock," she mumbled, in a small amount of shock at the sight of her foot. It wasn't as if she had a weak stomach, but seeing it on herself when her foot was still half-numb from the freezing water was enough to leave her bewildered and scared. She tried to work as quickly as she could, her teeth pulling at her chemise to gain some kind of bandage as she held her foot with one hand. She thought of calling Airril for his assistance, but even in this situation seeming weak before him did not feel like something she would like to participate willingly in.

She heard his boots on the ground behind her only moments later, but did not turn. She heard his weary groan, but did not comment. She saw him lean down beside her, but did not make a move toward him, still working on making a tear in her shift.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long." he sighed, opening the bag he'd kept slung over his shoulder containing his dagger and who knew what else. "Here," he brought out a thin scarf and moved her hand from her foot, dunking it once more into the water to clean it before gently wrapping the material around it, tight enough to reassure Merida her foot would not be able to split into two.

"You've done a good job of this." he said with sympathy. Merida watched him work quietly until he tied it securely and continued to hold her foot. "We need to get you back to Dunbroch. It's likely to get infected with all the walking we'll be doing. Who knows what could get into your wound."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I'm just going to slow us down now."

"Well, you'll be more careful next time, won't you?" he said, as if she wasn't to blame for anything at all.

"I should have been watching where I was going. I shouldn't have been walking so fast and carelessly."

"It was an accident." he finally placed her foot back into her lap and looked at her with an expression that told her he didn't want to hear her apologise any longer. "We'll get you home and fixed up. We're sure to arrive in some clan along this river." he reached behind her to take her dress, and the princess was suddenly aware she was sitting with someone in nothing more than a soaked-though chemise. She pulled her dripping hair over her chest and took the dress from him quickly, not bothering to wring out the white material before dressing herself.

"Let's go," she finally said, struggling to push herself up from the ground. Airril offered his hands, but she did not accept, pretending not to see. However, she didn't let the fact that he was carrying her cloak and bow and had her quiver around his own waist past her. "I can carry those,"

"You just concentrate on walking. And _don't_ put your foot flat on the ground. You don't want any pressure on it." he looked around for a moment, then dropped the things he was holding to pick up a round stick, breaking bits off it until it only had a fork at the top. He measured it beside her body then, approving, handed it to her. "Lean on this, seeing as you're too proud to accept my help."

"Thank you," she said simply as they once again set off, a lot slower than they had been travelling the couple of days before.


	7. Warning

**It's a reeeeally short one today. I'm disappearing this afternoon and won't be back until some time tomorrow, so hopefully there will be one up then as well. I just thought I needed to get this out of the way so it wouldn't seem comletely unrealistic that everything back in Dunbroch was peachy.**

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The heels of boots announced the queen's entranace as Elinor made her way to the throne room, taking her place regally beside her husband. Her sons had been ordered to bed upon the suggestion of a meeting with the visiting Macara clan, and they knew better than to cross their mother in order to find out about what was happening. The queen would not have their prying ears so close to people so dangerous.

"What is this about?" she asked, her clear voice filling the almost empty room.

The Macara clan were standing before them, all three of them looking less annoyed and more hostile despite the difficult situation both families found themselves in. Their son, Branan Macara, however, looked slightly hopeful.

"I'm sure you know what this is about, my lady," the cheif of Macara said unkindly. "Your daughter."

"For the last time, we can't tell you where she is," Fergus insisted desperately. "Don't you think we're worried about her, too?"

"You can't tell us where she is, or you won't tell us?" Lady Macara's raised her thin eyebrows and Elinor sighed.

"We couldn't even if we wanted to; she didn't come home! We have almost the entire kingdom searching for her, and no word's been given back. Believe me, I'd rather she be here, too. God only knows what troubles she could find herself in out there."

The mother and father in question gripped each other's hands tightly to offer comfort with unwelcome thoughts of their daughter's safety. Her horse had found his way back to the kingdom and caused a riot, as if working to gain people's attention only a few hours after her father had last seen her. A number of the clan's soldiers had been sent to follow the horse to a clearing, where a single stray arrow had been found, but there had been no sign of their daughter.

"The princess is considered rash and unconsidering in the most demanding of situations. It is not out of the question that she has simply fled for the sake of our proposal."

"What?" Elinor's voice laughed, despite the situation she was in. Disbelief was accounted for at their opposition's words. "You think she cares so little about her land that she would simply leave her horse and wander off into the forest by herself? Winter's coming on; she wouldn't be so stupid."

"We can only make assumptions." the king said easily. "And so we've called you to deliver a warning."

"If it's within our power, we'll see it done." Fergus agreed bleakly, before he even had the chance to hear what they were proposing.

"We're giving her another five days. That gives her a week, in total, to come forward. If not, she's sacrificed her clan for war."


	8. Travellers

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed since I posted the last chapter! They're what keeps me going!**

**I'm back at school again tomorrow, but I'm going to keep trying super hard to post regular updates. Only a few months left, then I'm free to write FOREVER!**

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Once again, the princess and sailor's conversation was light and friendly, occasionally paired with light teasing. Airril ordered they rest at noon so Merida was able to give her arm and injured foot a rest, and he did his work by finding berries - edible berries - and bringing them back to her.

"You really think we'll end up somewhere soon?" she asked as she ran her fingers gently over the red-stained bandage he'd given her.

"Well we'll have to, won't we? We can't just keep walking and never find anything."

"But we can take twice as long as we normally would have because of this ridiculous thing." she motioned to her foot exasperatedly. Airril ignored her. She looked up to wonder at his silence and caught him transfixed at something over her shoulder. Turning her head, she gasped at the familiar sight of a small blue flame-like image, beckoning with gentle sounds.

"A Will O' the Wisp." she remarked quietly. "It's for you,"

"You can't know that."

"It appeared to you, not me." she reminded him. "It might be showing us the way out; go to it."

"No," he shook his head and looked away from it. "No, they're dangerous."

"They can lead you to your fate,"

"They lead you from safe paths." he said firmly. "Too many sailors have been lured by things like Will O' the Wisps and sirens, and I won't do the same."

Merida frowned at him and looked over her shoulder, across the creek once more. The Wisp had disappeared with his words. "Looks like you've scared it off."

"And all for the better."

"I followed a Wisp once." she said casually, studying her fingers, pale and red-tipped from the cold. "It led me to a better life, not chaos."

"And look how happy you are with your new life." he scoffed, standing. "C'mon. We'd better keep moving."

Airril didn't complain as Merida hobbled slowly down the creek. In fact, he didn't really say much at all. Merida assumed the Wisp had given him a fright, so she didn't bring up the subject again, though her eyes kept up the work of searching for a hint of blue amongst the browns and greens and reds of the forest, and it wasn't until sunset was just threatening the sky that another Wisp presented itself to them.

Airril swore a few times, and Merida smirked as she thought over how such an action was perfectly suited to his profession. "Leave me alone," he groaned, hopeful the Wisp would obey him. It didn't. The fact that it was blocking their path made the situation more difficult, and gave Airril no choice but to walk more closely toward it. At once, it was joined by a string of others, crossing the river where it thinned in front of them.

"Please," Merida begged quietly. "There's no saying it's going to lead us to danger. It might be a way back to Dunbroch, or at the very least a place to rest for the night. I don't think I could handle walking much farther." the princess' pride had finally lessened enough for her to speak what had been bothering her so throughout the day. The long stick propped under her arm was rubbing at her sore skin and her ankle was cramped from holding her foot up so only her heel had access to the ground. More than that, she had recenly kicked her foot on a rock she hadn't seen and she was sure it had started bleeding again, though she wouldn't risk Airril's eyes seeing her if she checked.

"I promise they won't lead us to disaster." she was desperate enough not to consider the mess of the situation they'd put her in only months beforehand, and Airril eventually sighed and nodded a couple of times.

"Alright. But if anything bad happens, you'll never hear the end of it."

"I'm aware of that." she half-joked. She protested loudly as he scooped her up into his arms when they came to the river, but he ignored her, the Wisps in front of them disappearing as the pair neared them and drawing them on, out of their eyesight.

Merida appreciated the fact he'd carried her over that horribly cold water, but knew it was only for her foot's sake. Still, she couldn't help but be intruiged at the way he seemed to hold her so effortlessly. She was naught but a few inches shorter than he, which was quite tall for a girl of Dunbroch, and though she was slender she was no twig. Of course, the evidence of his life aboard a ship was present though his browned and roughened skin, so she guessed there would be more in the shape of well-built arms under his shirt.

He set her back down gently on the opposite side of the river and she bade him a quiet word of thanks before following after him, the Wisps still leading them. It took almost half an hour with Merida's foot slowing them down, but at last they came to the final Wisp and it disappeared to reveal a gathering of tents and a number of fires not too long a distance away from them. Both sunk behind a wall of evergreen shrubs, their eyes peering around their hideaway to get a better look.

"Travellers?" Merida asked. "What are they doing out here?"

"Travelling," Airril chuckled. "You said you wanted a place to rest until morning."

"Yes, but not with travellers!" she hissed as though he had lost his mind.

He only frowned. "Why not? They have tents. And of course they'll have reasonable food. Besides, it's going to be too dark to get anywhere else soon enough and they'll find us anyway."

"We can't stay with them." Merida said stubbornly. "I've heard stories. My brothers got into a little spot of trouble with some of them once, and there were words going through the clan. A lot of them are cannibals."

Airril barked a laugh and she hit his shoulder to quieten him. "Merida, I can guarantee these people are not going to eat you."

"Can you be a hundred percent sure?"

He hesitated. "No...but it's highly unlikely. It will all be fine; trust me. And maybe they can help us find our way back to Dunbroch."

"Well then you go ahead Sir, but I'll continue following the river like we'd _planned_ and see you back at the kingdom _if_ you don't get eaten."

She made to move, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "You wouldn't last a day with that foot of yours! What if more wolves show up? Besides, _you_ were the one who told me to follow the Wisps!"

"Wisps," a voice repeated above them. "Now that's something interesting, isn't it?"

Merida gasped as a mop of dark hair hung over them and flinched into Airril, holding her hand up as if to protect herself. The woman laughed and waved her own arm. "Now lass, there's no need for that. You're much too bony for our supper. We've got a fair few to feed here. Your friend, however...seems like a lot of muscle meat to be had there." she threw her head back and laughed, showing yellow teeth.

Merida groaned and Airril rolled his eyes at her weakened behaviour. "My friend's injured, and we're a long way from home. We need shelter for the night. Is there any way we could stay with your clan?"

"Don't use that word again, and we shouldn't have any problems." the woman snapped, taking Merida's arms and pulling her to her feet despite the princess doing her best to flinch away. "We don't belong to a clan. We're simply a family."

"I understand." Airril said. Merida wondered if she'd heard sadness in his voice, or simply imagined it, but didn't have time to ask as she was half-dragged to the centre of the gathering. The people who had been mingling around the fires and tents looked up curiously at the new additions, and the woman halted before them.

"We have guests." she said at once, then motioned toward Merida and Airril.

"Airril and Merida of Dunbroch." Airril supplied while Merida frowned at her.

"The wee lass is injured, and we're going to aid in making them more comfortable." the woman told her 'family', who looked as though they accepted the moment the words had left her mouth. _Placid,_ Merida thought, surprised.

The woman turned to the pair and lowered her voice. "We don't have any spare tents at present, but you're welcome to our food and a spot by one of our fires to keep yourself warm."

"That's very kind. Thank you." Airril said, as easily as if he were talking to anyone from his own clan.

"Dinner will be shortly." the woman gave each of them a pat on the back as she made to leave and Merida mumbled a thank you before she was completely out of earshot.

"Still not up for human?" Airril joked. "We should let them know in advance before they give you your dinner."

"Shut up," Merida mumbled as he laughed quietly.

The nomads seemed to be more than friendly, much to Merida's surprise. A couple of the children sat awfully close to her in order to touch her hair and told her it was pretty; something she had never heard before. There were also young couples who aquainted themselves with both of the outsiders, speaking to them as if they had been friends their entire life.

Merida became more and more comfortable as the hours went on, especially after seeing they were, in fact, eating rabbit and not human. She watched the large family thoughout the evening, some laughing loudly with a lot of friends, others playing music on small folk instruments while a few sung Gaelic chants, some simply enjoying the company of a sole other.

The princess realised with slight surprise that there seemed to be no one above the age of a child left unpaired with someone else. Every woman's arm was around that of a man's, and there was almost a visible bond between them, marking them as each other's. It might have been the air of the travelling clan she found herself in the midst of turning her mind insane, but the idea of being paired with someone for life suddenly didn't seem like a bad idea. In fact, it seemed to her at that moment to be a _good_ thing; something she was missing out on.

Something else that didn't go unnoticed by her was how easily Airril had slipped into living with them, sharing their conversations, singing along with their music. His personality was more easy-going, more free than Merida was used to, and she wished she could adapt so easily alongside his somewhat suspicious behaviour.


	9. History

**I'm truly so sorry for the wait! I hope I don't go so many days without adding a chapter to this story again. I can't even begin to explain the type of week I've had. Fingers crossed it all gets better from here.**

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The gypsies stayed awake well into the night, and Merida soon began to feel her eyes attempt to close on her. She was surprised that even children were still running around the campfires, shrieking and laughing with their continued games, seeming so awake and making her feel like a weakling.

Her foot made it painful to move, as though standing were torture, so she took to sitting on a log which had been brought before the fires to act as a long seat. Airril had spent quite a few hours roaming to and from each group of people who had seemed interested enough to ask for his attention, but had eventually retired to sit beside Merida, relieving her the duty of trying to stay alert enough to entertain questioning children in her tired state.

"How is your foot feeling?"

"Wonderful," she remarked sarcastically, and was surprised when he threw his head back and laughed, a_ real_ smile lighting up his features. The expression was somewhat infectious, and despite the aching that was now travelling up her leg, Merida herself giggled with him.

"You haven't been dancing," a voice remarked from beside them as a couple close to Airril's age sat on the opposite side of Merida, who now felt completely relaxed and safe around the nomads.

"That's my fault," Merida said immediately, extending her sore leg and attempting to wiggle her toes the slightest amount. "I've hurt my foot."

"I hope not too badly." the girl said, her eyes worried, though she did not know Merida at all.

The princess opened her mouth to speak, but Airril's voice took over the conversation. "It threatens an infection, but my friend is too foolish to believe anything will be able to pull her down." his lips pulled into a tight line at the way Merida rolled her eyes carelessly.

"We have ways of preventing things, if you need help. You only have to ask."

"It's perfectly fine," Merida insisted through gritted teeth, annoyed at being the centre of attention.

"I'll be sure to keep a close eye on it," Airril told them, ignoring the princess completely.

The nomads, though not all related, were very sure to refrain from calling each other anything other than family. Their close bond was enough to make Merida feel completely out of the loop, especially when Airril constantly seemed so at ease with all of them. He kept by her side throughout the night, but spoke to her rarely. He was more interested in watching the events happening around them while Merida's eyes drooped and her head lulled from side to side.

Irony came when the last of the travellers retired to their tents and Airril and Merida were left to sleep by the fire still burning the strongest. Airril dropped another last bundle of sticks on the fire as Merida made herself comfortable on the ground, as close to the flames as she dared, and spread her cloak over her, her limbs feeling heavy and her eyes itchy from tiredness and smoke from the fire.

She watched Airril through weary eyes as he himself settled down on the opposite side of the fire and closed his eyes, then closed her own, preparing to finally fall into a deep sleep, as she'd been wishing for hours.

Unfortunately this was not an option. Aggravating thoughts filled her mind at once, and she suddenly felt wide awake again. She resisted groaning loudly, unnecessarily, and rolled over. She missed her family. Especially her mother, which would have surprised her months ago. She craved the feel of the woman's arms around her, reassuring her everything would be okay, promising her she would be safe, that her foot would heal without a problem, that she was free to live her life how she wished and could forget about marrying Branan Macara.

The thought of the name made her sigh sadly. She knew the Macara clan would not leave Dunbroch until they were satisfied with the way she acted, and that would be determined by marrying her off, stripping her of her freedom. And what of Dunbroch? What if, in future, she was ordered to turn against her own clan? Her family? What if now, Dunbroch was under threat? She'd left, and had taken her promise of marriage with her. She wasn't stupid enough to believe that the Macara clan would understand her absence and patiently wait for her return. They would most likely be planning war against her clan at this very moment, and, thinking this, she wished to climb to her feet and run, praying that her feet would be able to carry her straight to her home.

She turned more tightly into her cloak, attempting to clench her teeth together more tightly to stop their chattering. Her jaw was beginning to ache from the action, and she wished it would numb along with her hands and feet. There were a few minutes, and then she heard the sound of Airril shuffling, her eyes snapping open as his footsteps approached her and he rested beside her instead.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting up and sliding away from him.

"Really," he sighed, reaching out to grab her arm and hold her still. "I'm not going to get any sleep at all if your teeth keep up that horrible noise, am I? I've grown used to your snoring; don't ask me to adjust to something else."

She realised he'd created a kind of barrier from the cold on her side opposite from the fire. The wind did not attack her as fiercely with him there, but she gave him a wary look before laying down again.

"I'm not going to touch you." he muttered, tucking himself in more tightly with his own cloak.

"You're not cold?"

"Hardly," he said with a small scoff. "I've learned to live with this kind of weather. My home's been on a ship for nine years."

There was a long moment of silence, and Merida knew this meant their conversation should have been over. She couldn't help but speak again however. "How old are you, Airril?"

"Nineteen,"

"You've been sailing since you were ten?" she gasped. Though she was now facing the fire, her eyes slid to the right side of her head, as if they were able to look at him, impossibly.

She wondered if he was going to answer, a little surprised when he did. "I was orphaned when I was ten years old. I didn't have anywhere else to go, and was hired by a man who found me on the street during one of his crew's return to land to restock food. He gave me a home, in return for my services cleaning the ship."

"And before that?" she prompted. She felt she had an idea, but she didn't want to speak it incase she was wrong and offended him. "You seemed awfully at home here earlier."

He gave a low chuckle, though Merida knew he found nothing funny, and continued. "My mother was a traveller. My father belonged to Dunbroch. They met while she was staying on the outskirts of Dunbroch's highlands. She had been dancing for coins, and he claimed to have immediately fallen in love with her.

"I lived with nomads until I was eight, until my sister was born. My mother died when she was two days old, and my father grieved so badly he couldn't stand to live with her kind anymore. He took us both back to Dunbroch, and we lived uncomfortably for two years, until he was called to fight against an imposing clan."

He broke off, and Merida wished to make him continue, but found herself unable, frozen to hear his story, relieved when he continued without her insistance.

"He tried to get out of fighting, to look after myself and my sister, but Dunbroch's leaders wouldn't accept it." Merida flinched, hoping he would excuse it for the cold. She was grateful he did not know who she truly was. She sensed he was finally beginning to trust her, and though she knew she would never be able to continue sharing his friendship (his ignorance allowing that), she did not want in any way to have him disappear now. Not when he was the only thing that reminded her of Dunbroch, her home seeming so far out of her reach.

"I didn't know you had a sister." she said quietly.

"I haven't seen her since our father left. She was taken in by a small family who had helped us throughout the years when we'd struggled. I wasn't so lucky. They already had more children they were able to handle, and I was expected to be able to take care of myself after living a decade. When word of my father being killed got back to us our home was taken from me. I was on the street for a few weeks, and then..." he sighed. "You know the rest."

"I'm sorry," she apologised, though she knew he was under the impression she had no reason to.

Her stomach clenched when she felt his hand stoke her curls gently, accepting her apology, and she swallowed thickly. "Goodnight, Airril."

"Night, Merida."

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**Reviews would make me smile! I love hearing from you.**

**Chlowie, xo**


	10. Confession

**Sorry I waited a bit to post this chapter! I've been singing and singing and singing and haven't had much time at home except for when I'm sleeping.**

**Just wanted to say that my father had the same injury as Merida has from a sailing incident earlier this year. I promise I won't put the princess through all that he went through, but I'm not going to make it easy for her.**

**Hope you like this chapter. ;**

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True to his word, Airril had not come within inches of Merida during the night. The fire on her other side had died down to an amber glow as she woke with dawn, for once rising before her companion. The voices of early rising gypsies had brought her out of her dreams, and she watched lazily as they wandered around their camp, laughing at jokes she couldn't hear and preparing breakfast for the rest of their family.

She felt no need to rise yet and stretched her arms abover her head, her legs straightening and her toes pointing, the princess forgetting for a moment that her foot had been injured worse than any other part of her before. She was unable to help crying out as a sharp pain sliced through her foot, right up to her ankle, and sat up immediately, pulling the thick stocking off her foot and being_ very _careful to study the injury.

It looked worse than she had been anticipating when she'd unravelled Airril's scarf. The skin was still rolled away from the gash, though today it was an odd pink colour, swollen and sore. She checked that Airril had slept though her exclamation and prodded as gently as she was able at the skin, still wincing despite her careful movement.

She needed some way for it to heal, and the only way for that was to get the skin to rest in its original place. She knew she would never be able to stomach stitching up her skin alone, so bandaged it back up ever so slowly, replaced her stocking and pushed herself to her feet. The woman who had brought them to her family originally could be seen with two men preparing dinner. Merida took up her stick, placed it under her arm, and hobbled over, feeling perfectly useless.

"Morning, dear," the woman said once she'd managed her way over. "Should you be up on that foot of yours?"

Merida hesitated with a small smile. "I was actually wondering if you could help me with that..." the woman looked at her in question, and she decided just to spit it out, for a moment pushing her pride away. "I can't handle it myself, but I need it to be stitched up. It's not staying in place well enough to heal."

The woman eyed the platter in front of her, glanced at the men beside her and wiped her hands on her dress. "Come with me,"

She took Merida to a relatively large tent, where two children were sleeping on one side and on another lay an empty pile of cushions and blankets. "Take a seat there, lass, and I'll fix you up," the woman sighed, taking up a needle that had Merida's stomach turning.

Apparently conversation was intended to keep Merida's mind of the unbearable pain of a needle going through her inflamed foot, and she struggled to keep her mind and answer the questions she was asked.

"So how long have you been with that boy? Airril?"

"Just a few days. We met after we'd gotten ourselves lost."

"So quickly to start a relationship!"

Merida's eyes widened and she shook her head. "No, no!" she insisted. "No, we can barely stand each other at the best of times. We're nothing more than friends."

"My apologies," she said quietly, Merida understanding the words were meant both for her mistaking the princess' newest relationship and the needle travelling skillfully through her skin.

When the woman was finally finished she dabbed a moist cloth against the skin and tutted quietly. "You'll have to keep an eye on this, my dear. It's looking mighty angry." she replaced Airril's scarf with a clean cloth and pulled Merida's stocking back on for her. "Come on out, lass, and we'll have some breakfast. I'm sure your friend's hungry enough for a rude wake up."

Thank goodness the eating area was mere steps away from the woman's tent. There were many more people awake by the time they had emerged, though Airril was still lost in his bundle of cloak. Merida sat and watched, an apple in her hands and another in her lap, as four children snuck around him and began poking him in order to wake him up. He eventually took their tormenting enough to push himself to his feet and come for breakfast as well, taking a place with the children who had pulled him from their dreams and entertaining them with a knowing smile. Merida wished to join them, but knew the company would not be worth getting to her feet.

As everyone finished eating and began their day their own way she saw him sit beside her from the corner of her eye and resisted speaking to him, taking a large bite out of her apple instead.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Immensely," she sighed, chewing slowly. "But I wish I hadn't ruined my foot. I'm sure I actually would have been able to have fun if I were feeling up to _standing._ It's still surprising to me, every time I look around, that I can actually feel welcome among _gypsies."_

Airril raised slightly in his seat, as if on defense. "There you go again," he murmured. "You speak of being discriminated against because of your sex, yet you cannot open your mind to the way people different from you live. How can you possibly expect to have other people see the things you wish to show them when you're so ignorant to what they may live like?"

"That's not what I meant," she began, but then paused, wondering what she _had_ meant. She felt something close to panic at being caught out; Airril's every word was correct, and she was unsure of how to turn this around and make her seem like the better person, as was her way. Airril, not for the first time, had her feeling vulnerable and a little stupid at how she acted, as if she were a child. She was not used to being acknowledged as being wrong, though she commonly did speak too soon, and was suddenly very uncomfortable beside him, wishing to save her pride, which had sprang right back as soon as he'd greeted her with his presence.

Rather than stay sitting beside him and admit that she had been wrong, she painfully rose to her feet and began walking toward the creek, away from prying eyes of the people allowing them to be guests in their temporary home, _knowing_ Airril was going to follow her. She hadn't needed a lot of time to get to know him; there were things about this boy she recognised too well, from her own mind.

"Should I be surprised?" came his laugh from behind her. They had moved out of hearing range of their company, but Merida hardly cared that they should hear his loud words. "Once again, your stubborness has won out. Look at you; carting yourself away while you can barely walk! You are honesly one of the most hopeless cases I have ever seen."

She turned quickly, struggling to keep her balance and stared at him with wide eyes. "How can you possibly speak to me like that?" she gasped.

"Why not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because you're better than me? Because you're better than _them,"_ he pointed toward the camp, now concealed behind trees and shook his head at her. "You seem like a hundred different people to me, Merida. One moment you're as far from a lady as I could expect, dragging me through a forest and working just as hard as I have to keep us alive, and the next -" he broke off, looking hesitant. She narrowed her eyes at him, which seemed to drag the words from his mouth. "- You're acting as your birth would expect you to."

Her mouth fell open and she took another step away from him, balancing precariously on the sticks and stones beneath her one steady foot. He couldn't know...

"I asked myself why I saved your life," he began again, his voice quiet. "When the only thing I'd wanted for nine years was to take revenge against your family."

"Airril..."

"I was happy," he said sternly. "I was happy for ten years of my life, though for the last two of my happiness I didn't know it. And then you took my family away from me, and I haven't smiled properly since."

_"I _didn't take your family away!" she insisted. "Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"Why should I have done that?" he snorted. "So I could treat you like royalty? Do everything for you? Let you walk over me like anyone else would? That was never going to happen, and it still isn't. You're not in Dunbroch anymore; I won't submit to your every word like you're so used to."

"I am _not_ used to having people abide by my words at all, let me assure you -"

"What, because of this marriage thing?" he asked with a frown. "It seems to me, _princess," _he sneered the word, "That you expect too much of everyone around you. When word got back to the ship about you refusing three clans in a single day I could hardly believe it. And now, your constant complaints about your engagement, to the _Macara clan_, no less! Are you stupid? Do you know what these people are capable of?"

"Do you expect me to give myself up for their satisfaction?" she retorted. "All they're after is the reassurance that a rebellious woman can be chained down and integrated into society to live like the rest of them. They don't want _me_. They're not after the charge of _my clan._ All they care about is seeming like the strongest clan in Scotland, and I won't kneel before them and let them ruin me -"

"Ruin you," he repeated, walking toward her angrily. "And what will happen if you do not accept?" he took her shoulder in his hand and shook her to get his point across. "What do you think they will do? Leave peacefully? No! They're going to declare war on Dunbroch! You may think you're doing what's right by saving yourself, but how many families will you be ruining when innocent fathers pay for your work?"

She pushed herself away from him, tears springing to her eyes, and stumbled from the action. She could feel herself falling, but did not put her right foot down to keep herself upright. She was only half-grateful when Airril's hands took a tight hold on her and kept her from meeting the cakey ground.

"They don't want me," she repeated quietly, her voice shaking with her tears as she looked down, away from him. He pulled her back up so she was vertical in front of him and frowned when she refused to look at him. "I'll be of no interest to them when they've proved they can change me. I'll be unwanted in their kingdom, but unable to escape." she sobbed, coming undone before him, before the one person in her life she felt she constantly had to better, and during that moment she didn't care. She didn't even raise to defense when he sighed and pulled her to his chest, his arms curling around her, letting her cry into his shirt.

Merida was surprised that the gesture was so welcome by her. In the back of her mind she screamed at herself, asked herself what was wrong. How could she allow this man to take her in his arms? And at such a vulnerable state? Her mother had been the only one to do so in the past, and for a moment she wondered if the gesture was so welcome because of the reminder of the most important woman in her life...

It was not.

Her mothers thin arms had created a comforting cage around her, letting her feel them mold to her shape, protecting her from anything outside of the embrace. _This_ embrace, however, was vastly different. Airril's arms were not gentle. They did not become a cage. They became a weight, pushing her into him, not molding for her comfort, but still comfortable all the same. It was as if his arms were holding her together, helping her stay in one piece, pushing her against him so tightly he was able to push her emotions into himself.

She sniffed against his shoulder, her head turned down against his strong form, and felt him pull away slightly, looking up through watery eyes with a small frown. The frown disappeared, though, when he lowered his head to her own and pressed their lips together gently. Her eyes widened dramatically, then her eyebrows pulled together with a mixture of confusion and shock, and her hands were able to worm their way beween their bodies to push forcefully against his chest, at once breaking their embrace and sending him a couple of paces in front of her. She was able to stay upright, and watched him incredulously as he swallowed and continued to stare at her, his expression unreadable.

"What was _that?"_ she gasped, bringing her shaking fingers to her lips and wiping them roughly, as if to rid herself of the reminder of his kiss. She suddenly became angry. "Why did you do that?"

"I -" he shook his head, his hair coming loose at the back of his neck with the action, making him seem more frustrated in their confusing situation.

"Ugh!" Merida attempted to storm back to camp, leave him behind her, but it was difficult with only one able foot. Instead, she waddled back slowly, expecting him to appear beside her with every step she took. He didn't. He watched her move away from him silently, his feet rooted to the spot, his breathing uneven with anger and passion, still unsure of himself and his own actions.

Merida didn't turn around.


	11. Adoration

The princess' eyes opened from an aching in her foot, adjusting to see Airril enduring an uneasy sleep on the other side of the fire. She had fallen asleep before he'd made an appearance the night before, and she was almost surprised to see him there. At least he'd stayed on his own side this time.

She waited for the pain in her foot to go away, and when it didn't sat up slowly, pulling her foot to her lap and unwrapping it slowly. It looked worse than she thought it ever would. She wouldn't be able to get her boot on with it as swollen as it was, and she didn't trust the red-purple colour beginning to make its way to her heel.

"Morning, Merida," a soft voice murmured from not too far away. Merida peered over her shoulder and saw Luka, a girl a little older than herself who had befriended her in a way since their first night with the travellers.

"Good morning," Merida quickly hid her foot away and pushed herself to stand, but Luka's eyes stayed trained on the wound. "What time is it?"

"Not long after dawn. Breakfast won't be for a little while yet." she paused for a moment, studying the redhead curiously. "I might have something that would be able to help with that foot of yours."

"Oh, I don't think it's too serious," Merida insisted.

"Well, perhaps you should just keep it with you and use it if you need to," she held out her arm and tugged her slowly along to the tent where she slept. Merida took a seat upon rugs and extended her foot carefully, eyeing the many pots of oils and pastes on the small hand-carved bench before them. Luka brought one to the floor and sat beside Merida, raising it to her friend's nose. "Smells nice?"

Merida nodded and Luka dipped her fingers into it. "It'll numb it for now, at the very least." the princess watched as Luka gently dabbed it to the wound, then wrapped a cloth around the pot, tieing it gently and placing it in her hand.

"How do you know what all these things are used for? Don't you get confused?"

"I've been using them for a long time." she said with a small laugh. "Those ones are medicines, and these ones are things for skin, and these ones..." she grinned and stretched her arm out to take up a large bowl and a comb. "Stay still."

}~*~{

Airril was disturbed from his dreams by the loud voices from the travellers at breakfast and rolled onto his back, stretching his arms over his head before he opened his eyes to greet the new day. _Hopefully this one's better than the last..._

He turned his head to check on Merida, weight of worry feeling his stomach when he realised she was not in her place. Had she attempted to find her own way back to avoid him after last night's happenings? Surely she wasn't so stupid...not with the state her foot was in.

He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his face roughly, wrapping his cloak tightly around his shoulders and climbing to his feet. Surely she hadn't woken before the nomads. Merida was not known for her early rising. Someone must have seen her this morning...

"Sleep well, Airril?" a large man asked once he'd joined them for breakfast. Still looking around, he answered with a nod.

"You haven't seen Merida this morning, have you? Any of you?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We expected you would have known of her whereabouts."

"I haven't spoken to her since early last night." he murmured quietly. He recieved a few looks from those who had overheard him, but no one pressed for details, and he was grateful.

"Full moon tonight," one mother said as she braided her daughter's hair. "You will be staying with us, won't you?"

Airril, feeling accustomed to a nomadic life though he hadn't lived with travellers for such a long time, smiled as best he could. "If I can find my companion I imagine we will be staying. Her foot's bothering her, and I'm sure she would like to watch a full moon celebration."

"It's a shame she won't be able to join in with her foot as it is." someone else sighed.

"Let's just focus on finding her first." Airril said, with quite an amount of irritation. He was starting to get worried. He felt she was his responsibility now, and cursed himself for losing her. She knew very well she wasn't able to defend herself in such a state. And how could she think she would be able to make her way back to Dunbroch quicker with only one foot to stand on?

"Stop looking." the woman with her child said, her eyes wide and focused past Airril, who turned to follow what she was staring, so surprised, upon.

A girl he knew from small conversations during their time here was slowly making her way over to join those eating breakfast, her arm looped through another's as they spoke with secretive smiles and small laughs. Airril frowned at the young lady beside her. Her pale skin, peppered with light brown freckles, was set against bright red hair that tickled the tops of her thighs, hanging in long, neat waves behind her shoulders. Her face was something Airril had never seen before; extremely pretty, but young for her obvious age and height. Her eyes trailed from her friend to meet his, and as something close to fear flashed through them he noticed her small limp and took a couple of automatic steps away from her. _Merida._

Had she always looked like that? He tried to think back to a time when he'd seen her whole face at once, and was unable to do so. What had happened to her? She looked...like a lady, despite her torn and dirty dress she'd been wearing since the beginning of their trip.

"You set yourself to quite a job this morning, Luka." one woman commented with an amused chuckle. "And all before breakfast!"

"It was a challenge," Luka agreed, giving Merida a small smile, who rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "But I thought she should at least _look _the part for the celebration tonight. I'll braid it for her later."

Airril was still staring at Merida, unable, it seemed, to take his eyes off her. He just couldn't pin her to the same girl he'd been living with for the past days. And she was acting a different part, as well. Where was the feisty, loud girl he'd grown accustomed to? She hadn't even _looked_ back at him since her arrival. He didn't want to think why.

}~*~{

Merida was well aware that Airril had hardly looked away from her since she'd left Luka's family's tent. She felt his eyes upon her for the rest of the morning, and resisted the persistant urge to look back at him. She wanted to so badly. She wanted her friend back. But she had no idea what she was supposed to say or how to act when the time of their reunion finally came. She hated him for what he'd done last night - how one small action could have made things so impossibly awkward between them. Would things ever go back to being the same?

She decided during lunch that she would have to be the one to make the first move. While Airril was sitting with a few other young men around a large fire, their toes oustretched toward the flames, she took a seat beside him and bit into her apple noisily to gain his attention.

Still, he did not speak, though she saw him watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Good afternoon, Airril." she greeted him, over-politely.

"And to you, Merida."

"You're looking well rested today."

"And yourself."

She tried very hard not to roll her eyes and looked away from him, pulling her straightened hair over her shoulder in an attempt to put a wall between them. If he was going to give her the silent treatment, she would do the same until he was desperate for her attention.

"You look different with your hair straight."

Orbs of aqua looked back at him around the mass of orange locks, her eyebrows arched curiously. "Is that a good thing?"

"I expect you'll fit in quite well with the night's celebrations." he paused, then opened his mouth to say something else, and Merida felt her stomach clench at what she knew was about to come. She silently begged God to help them both to just forget about the incident of the night before and put it behind them, and wondered if her wish had been answered when Airril closed his mouth slowly and looked toward the fire again.

They stayed this way until the fireside was otherwise forgotten once more and they were the only two who had stayed. The aching in her foot was beginning to return, she realised with a sad sigh, and she leaned forward once more to take her mind off it. She wished to say anything that would gain Airril's attention once more; remind him they were, in fact, friends, and should act like it.

"I'm worried, Airril."

"And why's that?" his voice croaked, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Dunbroch." she said softly. The word was all she needed for him to turn to her, his eyes almost as wide as her own. "What do you think's happening there, right now? Everyone knows what the Macara clan has taken in the past...what if they see my disappearance as something planned and declare war against our own clan? What if they're fighting, right now? And I'm the cause of it..." she had to look away as tears filled her eyes and she stared without blinking into the fire, demanding them to go away. They didn't, and she flinched as Airril's hand took her own, squeezing it comfortingly. Any other time, and it wouldn't have seemed like so much had been added into the small gesture. But now...

"I'm going to get you home, Merida." he promised her. "If you want to leave now, we will. I was planning on waiting until your foot began healing, but -"

"No," she insisted immedaitely. She knew very well her foot was not on its way to the mend, but did not wish to trouble him so. "No, we've promised to stay tonight. Besides, aren't we camping with nomadic highlanders? All we have to do is follow back their path, and we should find our way home. We can't be too far away now. We were somewhat travelling in the right direction when we were following that creek."

"And if we do find destruction when we get back?"

She hesitated, her eyes worried, peering at him with an incredible sadness that he refused to admit broke his heart. Her hair like that made her seem so much more mature than he had originally believed, and he held his hand back as it tried to rise and stroke the long red locks.

"If we find destruction...we fight." she said determinedly. Her hand tightened around his own, and he linked their fingers, very aware of the way she glanced down and studied their entertwined hands, as if they were like something she'd never seen before. Her childish curiosity made his heart swell and he longed to pull her into his arms and promise to stand beside her, fight with her, protect her and her people, but he did no such thing. He knew her reaction to such a thing would not be a positive one.

The two sat there for a long time as preparations for the night ahead were begun around them, and one thought haunted Airril the entire time; when the pair _did_ make it back, as they surely would, if not soon, what would happen then? Was he just expected to return to a ship and act as though this whole adventure had never happened? Would he be able to manage that?

And what of Merida? She was obviously not fond of this creep who had given her proposal. Airril's fingers began to shake at the thought of him and his ridiculous family, invading their land just to straighten this brilliant girl beside him out and have her behave the way they believed she ought to.

He couldn't imagine Merida as a wife. It was much too difficult for him. She had made it clear that she had not intended to be married, and he wondered if she ever truly wished to be. Would she honestly bow to their wishes and serve out her sentence like a respectable woman was expected to? He doubted it. He could not see her letting down her defences to please anybody, and for once was proud of her for her stubborn attitude.

But, above all of this, there was one fear that hovered around him irritatingly. One that came from a sudden adored obsession with her that had sprouted within moments during their short, one-sided kiss the night before.

Would he be able to see her bound to another man?

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**The next chapter should be up within two days.**

**Reviews would make me smile!**

**Chlowie, xo**


	12. Celebration

**I'm sick. Yay. Oh well. I'm determined to get this story finished while I'm in bed! I think there will be around twenty chapters, so it's a pretty short story for me.**

**Hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

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The full moon celebration was like nothing Merida had ever seen before. She looked around herself in awe at dusk as lanterns and candles and torches were lit, seeming to float in mid air and in the trees around her. Everyone had dressed in their very best, and not one person was absent as the huge bonfire in the centre of their camp was lit. The musicians of the camp supplied magic for people's feet to move to, and Merida subtly applied more of Luka's paste to her foot so she might be able to join in. She knew she was doing the wrong thing by just using it for its numbing effects when she should have kept off it and given it time to heal, but she did not wish to simply sit and watch everyone else enjoy themselves.

Luka's quick fingers had woven Merida's hair into a long braid and tucked small, quite pretty weeds from around their camp into the tamed mass, and Merida was greatly pleased with the outcome. She didn't know what had come over her, but having her hair straightened and in such a way made her feel...pretty. And she welcomed the feeling. Her attitude had changed slightly with her hair and she'd been more understanding and considerate throughout the day with the most gracious of smiles to go along with it. Here, she could be whoever she pleased. It would be a shame to leave and return to what waited for her back at Dunbroch.

"Is your foot troubling you?" Airril appeared beside her and she put her now tingling foot back to the ground without looking up at him.

"No, I was just re-bandaging it."

"How is it looking?"

"I think we'll be fine to travel again tomorrow." she lied. The fear of the Macara's abilities was slowly pushing her to horror and made her wish, more than anything, she was back with her parents so she was able to make sure they were safe. But would she truly ever be able to be sure of that?

"You're not dancing." she observed.

"I have constantly been pleasantly surprised by your intelligence, Princess."

Merida flinched. Airril had closed himself off to her after last night's events, and she didn't know that she would get him back to the way he'd been before. She'd taken the rare friendship she'd found in him for granted, and she missed their conversations terribly. She wasn't ashamed to admit their constant arguments were the reason for that. They were fun.

"Don't say that so loud," she murmured, casting her eyes down. There was a long moment of silence before she pushed herself to her feet, testing her right for a long moment before making her way to the fire. The paste she'd been given was working wonders; the numbing sensation from her toes to her heel kept her from the pain of her wound and allowed her to apply pressure without worrying about it aching for the rest of the night.

She fell into step as gracefully as she could manage with one unfeeling foot between two other dancers and spun with her arms out, kicking her legs and looking strangely a part of their community despite the different way she moved among them and the wide berth they gave her.

Airril frowned from his place, watching the bandaged foot beside the less swollen in the boot. Every so often she threw a glance at him, just to make sure he was watching her rebel against her injury. He wondered if he should walk over and demand she sit down again, but held himself back; he didn't particularly want to start a disagreement tonight. Not when she could bring up what he'd done the night before.

Her curls were starting to make themselves present once more, he observed. The straight hair she'd lived in all day was giving way to long, thick waves that bounced with her movements. He watched her stubbornly with his arms crossed firmly across his chest for a moment longer, then decided he would simply seem not to care. Would she go out of her way to try to worry him if she was under the impression he was apathetic to the situation?

More knowledged on the grounds of campfire dancing, Airril entered the rotating circles of bodies as well, catching onto the hands of those who passed him and never looking in the direction of the redhead who was staring at him closely now, jealous at his confident steps. The flames of the fire paired with the quick movements and made him wish he'd discarded his cloak before coming over. Delighted screams and laughs filled his ears from those around him and he lifted his head to the moonlit sky and took a deep breath, doing his best to block out all thoughts of the years he'd lived since leaving his original home.

He didn't have to leave. There was no one expecting him who actually cared for him back in Dunbroch. What if he parted ways with the princess and stayed here instead of returning? She was the one person in ten years that he'd felt had taken the time to understand him, and he knew if he took her back the main possibility would be never to see her again. He didn't know if he could go back to having nothing else. _No one_ else.

These people were kinder; cared. He hadn't had to try to gain their acceptance, and he knew he wouldn't be mistreated as he was on ships. But what of the sea? Could he truly leave the place he'd made his home? Even here, he would surely be alone. Not forgotten, but alone. He wasn't a part of this family. He had no one to tie him in with them.

His thoughts were disrupted by a flash of red to his right, and the familiar shade caught his eye. Merida was pushing herself slowly from the ground, her face twisted in embarrassment and aggravation when he'd made his way to her, helping her by wrapping his hands around her arms and lifting her.

She wriggled out of his grip. "I'm not completely unable," she muttered, then paused. "Thank you,"

"You knew you shouldn't have been walking on that."

"Ugh!" she turned and began marching away from the fire and Airril followed her automatically, noticing how she only stepped on her toes with her right foot. It seemed to be bothering her again. And rightly so.

He caught her arm once she'd wandered too far and lost sight of the camp. "Merida, you're being ridiculous. You shouldn't be standing, let alone -"

"And _you_ shouldn't be pretending to know what's best for me!" she argued, pushing against him half-heartedly. "For all you know it's started healing. Oh, Airril, let me _go!"_

"Why do you insist on doing things just to spite me?" he growled as she tore her arm from his grip. "You're just hurting yourself here, Merida."

"You're treating me like a child!"

"There's a difference between showing you can take care of yourself and plain stupidity to gain attention."

"You think I'm acting stupid?" she challenged with a raised eyebrow.

Airril resisted the urge to smirk. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

This was clearly not the answer the princess had been looking for. Her expression turned to one of embarrassment and anger as she lifted her hand to strike her companion's cheek, but Airril was too quick for her this time and caught her wrist, leaning in before she could react to once again seal her lips with his own.

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**What's going to happen? :D**

**Reviews would make me feel one hundred times better! (I need someone to talk to)**


	13. Feelings

**Oh my goodness, thank you for all of my reviews! They're the reason this chapter's up right now. I just saw how many there were, and thought 'Okay, I have to get the next chapter up NOW!' So sorry if it seems a little rushed. :)**

**Gah, I felt so hesitant about writing this. But, I suppose, the story must go on, even if some people don't agree with it.**

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He waited for her other hand to strike his face. He waited for a swift kick from her good foot. He even waited for a hidden arrow to somehow find its way dug into his torso. But none came.

It only took moments for the princess to seemingly surrender into his embrace. At first her eyebrows had risen to her hairline in surprise at Airril's quick actions, but they relaxed once more as her eyes slipped closed and she moved her face against his - testingly - completely unsure of what she was doing.

He was warm in contrast to the cold, empty woods surrounding them, and she found herself moving further toward his comfort, allowing him to envelope her in his arms and rest his hands on her back. Were those butterflies? Every feeling was completely new to the princess, and she had a hard time trying to wrap her head around it all. She could barely stand straight when she was in a right state of mind, but like this...she felt woozy, to say the least.

At least Airril seemed to have kept his head. He didn't appear to be completely dumbfounded by what they found themselves doing. His hands held her firmly, but gently, and she wondered if she should do the same, but ended on deciding they were find where they were; by her sides, where they wouldn't get in the way. She could feel small tremors through her fingers and wondered if Airril could possibly have such an effect on her. She'd never expected a kiss to feel like _this._

They both pulled away at the same time, as if they had sensed it from the other. Airril sighed, his eyes still closed, and turned his face to the ground while Merida peered up at him, her eyes half-confused. There was another second before he opened his eyes to look at her, then he offered a small smile. "I prefer your hair curly." he tugged on the wavy locks by his hands as he said it.

"But I caught your attention this morning."

"I could hardly tell what you looked like under there after all this time."

There was no roll of Merida's aqua eyes. There was not even a scoff. She simply kept watching him, as if he were going to explain what, exactly, had happened between them. When he didn't say anything she opened her mouth, stating the one thing she was sure of at that moment.

"We need to return to Dunbroch."

He stepped away from her immediately and turned, his back to her. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"Do you think it will take long?"

"The travellers are camping on the highlands. We're sure to find our way back if we follow the path they've left." there was another long sigh from him, and Merida noticed the way his head turned down. "I'll get you home on time."

Neither of them said anything more. They walked back to the camp silently, Merida always a couple of steps behind Airril, though he was keeping a slow pace so as not to stray away from her. She knew at any other time he would have offered her his arm to assist with her walking, but not when such things had happened between them. The thought of Dunbroch brought back reminders of why she had become lost in the first place, and she appreciated that Airril did not advance on her any more than she would be able to handle.

"We were wondering where you'd gotten to." the woman who had brought them to the camp their first day with the nomads said with a wide smile once they'd returned. There were less people here now. Only a couple of children were dancing beside the fire, while the adults who were still awake were laughing through conversation while they kept a close eye on their young ones.

"We'll be readying ourselves to leave tomorrow." Airril said practically. There was an underlying hint of sadness to his tone that Merida did not wish to question, so she just listened on without looking at the woman.

"So soon?"

"We should be finding our way home. We have duties to attend to."

"Very well. I suppose I can't convince either of you to join us? It is so exciting to have new faces in our family, and I'm sure you'll both be sorely missed when you go."

There was a long pause, and Merida looked up to Airril in alarm, but he merely shook his head. "No, thank you. But you'll always be remembered for your help."

"Thank you," Merida murmured quietly. The woman placed her left hand on both of their shoulders in a maternal nature with a warm smile, then left them. They walked back to the small fire which had become their own without a word to each other. Merida watched him for any signs that he would regret his answer to the woman, but he avoided her eye. Curiosity got the better of her as they lay in the icy night, and she demanded his attention.

"Do you want to stay, then?"

"What?"

"Here," she clarified. "Do you want to stay?"

His eyes were clouded; unreadable. "No," was all he said.

"Do you want to go back to Dunbroch?"

"I want to make sure you get home." he told her. "After that, I don't know. My plan would be to find my own way onto the water, but I don't know how that would happen. But I'll work it out. You just think of what's to come in your own life."

"Are you angry at me?" she asked, confronted by his tone.

"No, Merida," he was facing the sky above him, yet she did not miss the way his eyes creased at the corners, telling her he was more upset than he would ever let on. "You have a duty to your clan. It's not my place to comment on the way things are run so indecently. But I do wish it would be taken into account how _you_ feel about the marriage. It should not be purely the Macara's happiness that gets considered."

"Branan Macara is not, and never will be, happy about our proposal."

"Then he is a fool."

The statement took Merida by surprise and she drew her cloak more tightly around her shoulders. For all she knew, she could be back in her bedroom by the next night. Would she ever see Airril again after returning to the world she'd known only days ago?

"Airril?"

"Yes?" his voice was a whisper, and her own lowered, scared to speak the words she thought out loud.

"I'm cold tonight."

Airril stood without question and walked to her side of the fire, placing himself behind her as he had two nights before, and again, he didn't touch her. Merida was slightly shocked that he made no move to assure her he was there, but did not question it.

"You fought with me on purpose tonight."

"How do you figure that?"

"You think you can kiss me every time you make me angry now."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Merida smirked. There were still so many things between them that she knew would never go away. Perhaps they only knew each other for a few more hours before she was once again a princess and he a sailor? She wished more than anything at that moment to assure him she was not for the wedding she had been promised into completely; to make him understand how much it truly pained her to consider her life in a short time. Away from Dunbroch, away from herself...

She could not tell him she would have willingly chosen to be with him for no reason other than he made her happy. It was not the truth. Yes, he did tend to make her happy, but he also wore on her nerves, and though that was quite a big part of the reason why she appreciated his company so much, she could still not see herself happily married to him, expected to help run a household and at the same time, a clan. She was not ready to settle down like the Macaras wished her to. Her freedom always came first, and until the day she felt she would not be complete without another's company, it would continue to.

Airril drifted into his dreams, a small, sad smile on his face, when Merida stretched her left leg behind her to brush his toes with her own.

It was not hard to say what he wanted. But it was difficult to imagine his life after all of this was over.


	14. Leaving

**I just want to say how sorry I am about going missing this past week! I never want to leave a chapter longer than that again. I have been so, so busy with school. I took on more things than I can handle. Also, singing! Too much singing! But I'm back now just for a second to post this. Sorry if there are a few mistakes; I wrote it out super fast.**

**I'm going to give myself a challenge, seeing as this is chapter 14 and that's my favourite number. School's going to be driving me mad for a little while longer, but if I get 14 reviews I promise to post a chapter on the same day I recieve the one that makes up the 14. If not, I'll just keep posting when I can squeeze in a break...I kind of feel like a challenge. :) (besides, this story's a lot more fun for me to write than the properties and performance of fibres and yarns...)**

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**14: Leaving**

Airril was awake at dawn, but did not wake the sleeping princess, shaking his head as he watched her snore quietly, her mouth parted ungracefully.

"Breakfast?" a young girl asked, holding up a large plate of fruit.

"Please," Airril draped his own cloak over Merida's form and made his way to the small gathering of early risers, taking food for himself, as well as pulling a few apples into his arms for their journey ahead.

"Hungry, are you?"

"We have quite a walk ahead of us."

"Oh, you're not leaving already?" the boy who stood beside the girl gazed over to Merida, then back to Airril. "We were getting so used to having you both around."

"We really should be returning to our clan, though." Airril insisted. "As much as I would like to stay,"

"Well, perhaps our paths will cross again." the girl's hopeful smile was enough to get him to smile in return, despite the hollow feeling he found within himself at the thought of returnin to Dunbroch, and he nodded once more before returning to Merida's side, tugging on the hair which had now regained a few loose curls.

"Hm?" she yawned and took an apple from his hands without saying anything and pushed herself into a sitting position, gasping as her hands both wrapped around her injured foot.

"What's wrong?"

"You know what's wrong with it." she sighed.

"Perhaps you should have it looked at before we start moving again."

"Oh, nonsense, Airril." she watched him with a small frown as she chewed. "It's nothing. It's getting better. It'll be fine."

He accepted her words, turning to study others around the camp too quickly; he missed the worried expression that passed over her face with thoughts of her foot.

Everyone of the travellers seemed just as down as they felt at the aspect of their leaving. Merida had started feeling at home there. She'd felt as though she could have really been the girl she'd always wanted to; none of them had expectations of her. They all treated her with respect, despite her unladylike ways. They did not know who she was, so did not frown upon her habits that were so unlike a princess.

Airril wanted to stay for a different reason. Upon their arrival he'd found the whole air of the nomad's camp comforting; it reminded him of his first home. Of his mother. Their last night there had given him more reason behind staying, however. Returning to Dunbroch meant returning to his old life, which, in turn, meant leaving Merida behind to begin her new life. He knew how unhappy that would make the both of them, and wished more than anything he did not have to part ways with her.

He scolded himself over the feelings which had gathered within him whenever she had been near. That wasn't supposed to happen. As soon as he'd saved her from that wolf, he'd wondered what he'd been thinking. He'd always wanted to have his revenge on Dunbroch, and though he'd known who she was from the moment she'd knocked him over with her horse, he had been unable to see her torn apart by the viscious animals in the forest. Something about her had attracted him from that moment, and he'd ignored it to start with. Not he felt unable to do so.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes," she said softly, putting on a brave face, her mouth twisted into the best smile she could manage.

"It was lovely meeting you." the woman who had invited them to stay in the first place dropped a heavy hand onto Merida's shoulder, then Airril's. "We hope your journey from here is a success."

"Thank you for letting us stay with you." Merida said politely. "If you ever find yourselves in Dunbroch, I will be sure to do my part to make your stay as comfortable as you've made ours." the bitter look in her eyes as she said this was the result of her remembering she would probably not belong to Dunbroch for much longer. Airril cleared his throat loudly and picked up his bag, along with Merida's bow and quiver, which she grasped at stubbornly.

"'Til we see you again,"

There was a chorus of goodbyes and well wishings, and the two trudged, ever so slowly, toward the edge of the highlands. Their plan was to follow the cliffs until they eventually arrived somewhere remotely familiar. Neither had any idea how long this would take, but they knew they could not fail with their plan. Dunbroch had to rest somewhere along their path.

Merida was well aware of the way Airril was watching her as she walked, but she was sometimes unable to help the look of pain on her face which stemmed from her foot. When she at last let out a small groan after putting her foot down too flat, Airril stopped moving.

"Let's have a lunch break."

"No," the wind whipped at Merida's hair from the cliffs beside them and she wanted nothing more than to keep moving, the height of where they were reminding her of home and motivating her. Yes, most of which she would be faced with upon her return would be more than what she was capable of dealing with, but thoughts of her bed, her parents, her brothers...it was enough.

"We've been walking for hours," he insised, walking a small way back into the forest so she could see him and leaning against a tree. "And I'm hungry."

She doubted that was the real reason for his stopping, what with his eyes trained on her foot, but she hobbled after him anyway and sat in front of him, a quiet thank you for he apple he passed her; he'd filled his bag before they had taken their leave.

"How long do you think it will take?"

He shrugged. "I know how anxious you are. I'm not going to keep holding you back like this. But your foot _does_ deserve a rest."

She gave him a long look as they slipped back into a gentle silence. "You haven't spoken much today."

"Haven't I?"

"Are you thinking about going back?"

"What else is there to think about?" he asked bitterly.

She sighed. "Don't be sour about this. You rightly know it's not my first choice, either."

"Then why do you insist we find our way back?" he huffed in a whisper. She was sure the words had left his mouth before he'd had a chance to think over them, because as he spoke he stood once more and walked away, seeming to inspect the edge of the cliff they found themselves on.

Merida didn't try to start conversation again. She had learned Airril's behaviour, and knew he could come around and speak to her when he was ready. Pushing him to let out the words would just make him aggravated.

Their break lasted no longer than half an hour, then they were off again, Airril constantly a few steps in front of Merida...so it was more difficult for her to begin conversation with him, she suspected.

She hadn't had a chance to look at her foot today, but it felt more swollen than it had on past days, and burned whenever she applied pressure to it. The ointment dear Luka had given her had been tucked in her chemise overnight, and she wanted nothing more than a few minutes without her companion's prying eyes so she would be able to sit and apply it to the wound without his pessimistic worries.

The day seemed to get warmer and warmer, despite the cold season approaching, and Merida's skin felt clammy as she followed slowly after Airril, her head pounding from the heat. She rolled up her sleeves, tied her hair up ontop of her head and pushed a twig though it to keep it off her neck, her shoulders slumped as she walked. How had Airril not complained about the sudden change of temperature?

The sun began to set, and as it did, they glimpsed sight of the ocean before them. The water lit up like gold, and Merida watched it silently, her footsteps heavy and her head spinning. She realised Airril seemed transfixed by the image, as well, though he probably had more reason to be. That was his home, after all.

Her gaze finally fell back to the ground in front of her, her eyes never straying from too far in front of her as they walked. It was quite a while after sunset when Airril caught her arm. She looked down at his hand, shocked when she saw goosebumps on her skin. She was still warm...why did she have goosebumps?

"Look," he breathed.

She turned her head to look at the ocean as he was doing, her breath leaving her lips at the beautiful sight before her. The just-past-full moon hovered symmetrically over the water in front of them, creating a perfect line over the waves to them. The water reflected its silvery glow, looking more like magic than something so simple as the element. The different patterns it made, the different directions it travelled in, caught the light in different ways and Merida lost herself in the sight so much it seemed as though there was nothing but herself and the breathtaking image that was presented to her. She hardly felt deserving of such beauty.

Airril sat down on the edge of the highlands, his eyes still focused on the water, and she followed, careful with her foot. "That's beautiful."

"Isn't it?"

"Do you get to see that every night?"

He sighed and shook his head. "No,"

"What's wrong?"

She wondered if she'd offended him when he didn't say anything. She watched him for a few minutes, but his face was blank, other than a pair of worried eyebrows, then she turned back to look at the ocean. That was when he spoke.

"I don't want to take you back."

"Airril -"

"I know I have to," he insisted. "I'm not stupid. But I don't want to see you given to someone else."

"That doesn't make sense." she said softly, her heart racing at his words. "We haven't even known each other a week yet."

"You don't feel the same way." it wasn't a question.

She was stuck for words, and chose not to look at him. "Airril, I enjoy being with you, but I'm - I -" she sighed, and her words came out slow, pronounced more than necessary. "I never expected myself to fall in love so early. Especially not when I'm betrothed to someone. I can't let feelings like that take over me. I don't even know _how."_

"Do you feel anything for me?"

"Of course I do," she sighed. "But it's confusing. And wrong for how I'm supposed to act. But I know I'm going to miss you terribly when we return." she turned to look at him and rested her hand atop his own, gaining his eyes. "It's been nice to be away from everything, with just you."

He turned his body to face her and caught her hand in his, wrapping his fingers around her own. She didn't react. "I want, more than anything, for you to be able to say you'd have me, too. I know you would, if you weren't so stubborn."

"_I'm_ stubborn?" she repeated. He spoke before she could say anything else.

"I didn't want to get to know you when I saved you from those wolves. I even considered getting you lost to have my revenge on your family."

Merida sighed and leaned her head forward, resting her forehead on his shoulder. They were both shocked by the forward movement, and her eyes were wide as she adjusted to the new feeling of being so close to him. It wasn't...uncomfortable.

His voice was a quiet mumble against her wild hair when he spoke again. "Staying with the travellers made me realise who you really were. I think that's what the Wisps had intended...how could you be my fate, when I don't get the chance to keep you?"

"I don't want to forget you." she murmured. "I think, out of everyone in my life, you've been one of those to show me the most. I've learned a lot from these last days with you. I feel like I've changed."

"You're still Merida." he chuckled. He pushed himself to his feet, bringing her with him through their joined hands, and did his best to hold her steady when she swayed dangerously. Her eyes were glazed over as he lowered his lips to her forehead and kissed her gently, earning no reaction. It was only when they rolled to the back of her head and she fell toward the ground once more that he realised something was wrong.

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**The next chapter will be posted after 14 reviews, or as soon as I can sit down and give my fingers a workout.**

**Chlowie, xo**


	15. Shelter

**Oh my goodness, you guys are crazy! The first time I've touched my laptop and you've already reached the number! Thank you. :) I'm giving a speech in less than an hour, and rather than writing it, I'm going to post a new chapter. Because I promised. Pray for me! haha**

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His strong hands caught her upper arms immediately, but still she slumped, her lips parted, her eyelids drooped. His heart raced as he scooped her into his arms and looked around, as if to find help.

"Merida," he asked weakly. She had to be okay. What was going on? She'd seemed fine only minutes before.

After lowering her carefully to the ground and making sure she was still breathing evenly, he did his best to wake her up, calling her name and slapping her face gently until he became more and more frantic. There was no reason for her to faint! What was wrong with her?!

The freezing air whipped through his cloak and froze him, and he imagined the best thing would be to find some kind of shelter away from the elements where they could rest until she was awake and feeling up to moving again. Keeping a safe distance from the edge of the highlands, he walked through the forest, down and up hills, between trees which thickened and thinned unevenly, his arms aching at the constant weight of his companion, his back threatening to give up. Not only was he carrying the princess, but all of their belongings as well, and he knew he wouldn't be able to manage forever. Still, something inside him pushed him on, and he was able to keep walking, losing track of how many hours had passed since they'd talked while watching the water, unsure of how far his feet had travelled.

He was utterly relieved when he found an abandoned shelter, sunk into one of the dips of the highlands. He altered bits and pieces until it was comfortable enough for the two to stay the night and set Merida down on the best bed he could manage, looking over her properly for the first time since she'd passed out.

He whispered a curse when he'd unwrapped her right foot, the infection obvious, making his stomach turn as he discarded the bandage and leaned over to press his hand against her forehead. She was hot, and he skin was clammy despite the arctic weather.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" he hissed at her angrily. "Get over your own pride for once, and be honest, for goodness sake!"

The stitches in her foot were only holding onto the worried flesh now, and he knew that would be doing her no good. The entire sole of her foot was swollen, which made him wonder why she'd agreed to walking. He didn't understand how she'd been able to accomplish it so well. If he'd known, he never would have accepted her eager attitude to continue moving.

He studied the injury for a long moment, aware of what needed to be done, though he'd never been one for handling such disgusting situations. He almost decided against it a few times, but after looking at her sleeping form, seeming so peaceful despite what had taken over her, he knew he couldn't leave her with this. He reached to the discarded quiver and took one of her arrows snapping off the head and holding his breath as he began his work.

}~*~{

Merida was highly aware of the burning sensation in her right foot. It haunted her dreams for what felt like forever, becoming more and more painful. She woke, gasping against the pain, much too warm in the dark of the night so close to winter, her eyes still heavy and itchy.

"Airril?" she asked, her voice barely making it past her lips. She squinted against the black and jerked her left leg gently against the sleeping form of her friend, who had curled up on the ground next to her. He lifted his head immediately, relief evident in his eyes, barely visible to her as her eyes adjusted, when he looked at her.

"Oh, you're awake." he sighed, and she wondered if he believed himself.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. On the cliff last night. Do you remember?"

She shook her head slowly, and groaned. "My foot..."

"Why didn't you tell me?" there was a hint of anger in his voice now, and Merida hesitated warily. "Do you know the damage you'd caused it? Do you know how long I spent cleaning it out last night?"

"That's why it hurst to much." she said with a half-hearted roll of her eyes. It was difficult to keep up a facetious attitude when she was almost completely blinded by pain.

He was serious as he answered. "You couldn't have kept infected skin. It would have gotten worse."

She strained to impossibly see the sole of her foot without moving. "Do I actually have anything left down there?"

"What you need." he said, his lips twisting. "Though, I doubt you'll be able to walk for a long time."

"I need to get back to Dunbroch."

"I am perfectly able to carry you."

At any other time, Merida would have argued against this, but she was much too tired now, despite only just having woken up. "Airril, check my boot. I had a paste from a gypsy girl. It helped numb my foot."

"I don't know if we should put anything on this, Merida -"

"Do it," she warned. "Or I will be cutting out half of your foot while you sleep, as well."

He checked her boot immediately and retrieved the ointment, smelling it carefully before spreading it onto the wound. She bit her lip as the pain sliced through her once more, ten times worse than what she'd been expecting, but it slowly died down to the less than comfortable tingling she'd grown accustomed to, and she was able to focus more clearly on how comfortable she was after spending nights on hard ground. It was obvious she was not sleeping on a bed, but wherever she was had proved so far to be acceptable. Before she could inquire, she'd yawned widely again and Airril leaned back, watching her sternly, as though he were her babysitter. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Go to sleep. You need to rest as much as you can."

"Dunbroch -"

"Will be there when we begin moving again. As soon as you're able to stand without falling over, we will leave."

This seemed like a reasonable enough solution to their problem, and Merida made herself comfortable once more, closing her heavy eyes and waiting for dreams to take her away once more from thoughts of her foot.

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**Another post in 14 chapters. Let's see if you guys can get me going 3 times in 3 days!**

**Chlowie, xo**


	16. Recognition

**Sorry this was so late! I didn't have the chance to look through it because I wanted to post it ASAP. Hope it's okay!**

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Once more, Merida was the first to wake, on account of her foot. There was a dull ache this morning, so apparently the nomad's answer to infections was working wonderfully. She was awake enough to push herself into a sitting position, poke Airril awake using the toes of her able foot and reach down to apply more of the paste, the numbing feeling taking her once more.

"How's it feeling?" Airril asked with a yawn.

Merida didn't look at him as she answered. "I can hardly feel it, to be honest. This stuff's amazing."

"Perhaps not the best thing for you, though." he said with a small twist of his lips.

"Oh, Airril," she shook her head at his doubtful tone. "They seem to know what they're doing. Perhaps you should learn to trust. Especially when that was all you felt while we were with them."

"Well, we're not with them anymore. Thanks to you, we're Dunbroch's people."

"We were already Dunbroch's people." she reminded him. Her expression became more serious as she finally look at him, her eyes pained as he looked back at her, reminding her of what they both truly wanted from this journey. "We need to go home."

"You need to rest."

"No," she insisted, rising in her seat. "No, we need to get back before anything terrible happens on my account. Which, I have no doubt, it will. It seems I'll forever be blamed for things that're hardly my fault. And we have no idea how long it will take for us..." she trailed off as she caught better sight of what surrounded her, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I know where we are."

"What?" he wondered if he'd heard her correctly. Surely not. Why would a princess recognise the remains of what was perhaps once someone's house in the middle of the forest?

She continued, still seeming too far in awe to act less than dumbfounded. "I've stayed here before; only months ago. This was _her _home."

"Who?"

"The witch!" Merida exclaimed, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "She wasn't coming back until spring... Oh, you know? The witch that gave me the potion and turned my mum into a bear. She posed as a - oh!" her fists suddenly clenched and she fixed an angry look at Airril. "I neved recieved those _stupid _carvings!"

He looked as her, wondering if the infection had caused her to lose her mind. "Are you still asleep?"

"No, Airril," she leaned forward, her eyes begging him to listen to her. "We're almost home. It won't take long now."

At these words, he felt something inside his stomach sink. This was it. She knew how to return, and once that happened, he would lose her for good. After all that had happened between them in the last week, they were meant to forget. They were meant to forget everything and live the rest of their lives as though it hadn't happened. He doubted he would ever be able to manage that.

"Well then," he handed her one of the apples they had saved from the nomad's table and pushed himself to his feet. "Let's get you back to your fiancé." he muttered.

Merida allowed him to help her a lot of the way, but neither of them remarked on the strange fact. They were both aware they would probably never see each other after today, and while Airril was doing his best to imprint everything he'd learned about her into his mind, Merida was secretly doing the same.

The silence between them was almost too much for Merida to bear. She craved the bickering that had once made up their relationship, but knew today was not the right time for it. Instead, she did her best to make conversation.

"So, when we're back...you're just going to get back on your ship?"

"My ship's left." Airril snorted unpleasantly. "There'll be a good couple of months before I can board again."

"I'm sorry."

"I'll find somewhere to wait. I have a bit of money. I'm sure there'll be a pub I can live in until they get back."

"But you'll miss the sea?"

"Of course. But it might be nice to be away from an abusive captain for a little while."

Merida frowned at Airril's attitude. He'd been left to deal with people who didn't accept him, or even treat him correctly, and he accepted it as if it were perfectly normal. Dwelling on this made her feel like a spoiled child, thoughts of her rebelling and complaining that her home life wasn't good enough tormenting her as they walked.

"You should have your own ship. Get away from people like that."

"That was the plan." he hit the small bag of money in the larger bag on his back, and his lips twisted bitterly. "I suppose I have a while to wait, though."

Merida didn't say anything more; she couldn't think of anything that would help the subject they were in. Instead, she concentrated on feel of Airril's hand on her arm, ready to support her in case she fell.

The trees around them began to thin after a long while - they were walking rather slow, on Merida's account, and Merida felt her stomach tighten uncomfortably. Here they were. At the end of the line, about to part ways. She suddenly realised how much she truly cared about this young man beside her, and even though she'd been so sure of her answers only the night before, her hand tightened in the sleeve of his arm, halting them both before they could enter Dunbroch.

"What's wrong?" he immediately asked, his hands in mid-air, about to catch her. "Is it your foot?"

"No," she sighed and looked at the ground. Even though she was feeling these things, it would still be difficult to let the words leave her mouth. "Airril, I don't want to go back."

"Where should we go?"

She lifted her head to fix him a sad, desperate look. "I _have_ to go back. Who knows what's happening right through these trees as we speak? I'm going to do what's right, not what my heart's telling me to do."

Airril swallowed uncomfortably. "And what is that?"

"To stay with you," she murmured, almost too quiet for him to hear her. Her eyes were wide and tortured, showing him how much she truly wished to stay by his side, and she lifted her right hand, her fingers tracing lightly over his face, her eyes watching closely, drinking him in. "I don't want to go back and pretend you never happened."

"You know where to find me."

"But when will I be returning to Dunbroch?" her hand stopped its movements and she pressed it against his face, feeling him lean into her. "I feel like today will be it. I have to say goodbye to you now."

"I wish you happiness in your new life." he said bleakly.

She knew this was not going to happen, but took the next line. "And to you. Get your own ship and find a perfect girl to marry, because you deserve to have something in your favour. You've lived too long without something to smile about."

"I don't want someone perfect." he insisted, his eyes narrowed determinedly into her own. She felt her throat thicken at the sheen present over his eyes and felt her own sting with the oncoming of tears.

"I know. But you will."

Neither of them knew just who made the first move, but within another second, they were in each other's arms, another long kiss being shared between them. Merida tasted tears and wondered who they belonged to, but brushed her thumbs against Airril's cheeks to keep them dry. His arms held her solidly against him, while his hands rubbed her back in a comforting way, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. They both knew this was not the case. Not when they were apart.

When they finally pulled away Merida pushed her forehead against his own, holding his face against her and focused on the feel of his eyelashes fluttering.

"I'm not going to forget you, and I'm not going to forget the person you've changed me into. And even though I'm going to be married in a few short days, _you _will be the person my heart stays with."

"And you have mine," he promised her. "And my happiness, which I'm not going to ask you to return. Perhaps you can add it to your own and find your own smile in the years to come."

"I don't feel like smiling," she admitted quietly. They both sighed and pulled apart, knowing they must take part in what was to come now.

"Are you ready?"

"No," she answered surely. "But Dunbroch's waiting for me, and I've taken long enough."

So they walked, Airril's right arm tight around his companion, holding her off her damaged foot, his left hand tight in her own. The last lot of trees passed much too quickly, then they were back in their familiar home.

The sight that greeted them, however, was not familiar in the least.

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**I know there was a short showing Merida's carvings arriving to her, but let's just pretend that didn't happen, okay? Because that line earlier is the line I'm most proud of in this story. Don't call me crazy.**

**Chlowie, xo**


	17. Return

**I have some sad news. There are only three chapters to go after this one. I'm so not ready to say goodbye to Merida and Airril yet, but I don't want to stretch this story out any longer than it needs to be. I'll be considering a sequel of some sort, because I'm having so much fun with this, but seeing as Airril's an original character, I'm not sure if that would be such a good idea. Let me know what you think, though, because I would absolutely love to go ahead with it if enough people are interested!**

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What once had been a relatively quiet part of Dunbroch was now bustling with hundreds of people, most of whom Merida had never seen before. She and Airril hobbled through the crowd, and she was thankful no one seemed to know who she was. There were a few glances from people that told her otherwise, but no one voiced her return, so she was able to keep her head down and hope they would make it smoothly up to the castle.

Tents lined the market square of Dunbroch, and she was surprised to see the crests of MacGuffin, Dingwall and Macintosh. Dread filled her stomach on what that could mean, and she knew the harbour of her land would most likely be taken up by ships bearing the Macara clan's people.

She was relieved to see three familiar faces as she and Airril neared her home and insisted they stop. The sons of Dingwall, MacGuffin and Macintosh had bonded somewhat over their last visit to Dunbroch, and having to return to band together meant an even stronger partnership. Now the three of her allies gaped at her, as if they couldn't believe she stood before them.

"What's going on?" she asked. Unfortunately MacGuffin was the one to answer her. Her frown deepened until he'd finished, and everyone seemed to wait in an uncomfortable silence, unaware of anything he had said. Airril, however, spoke back to him.

"And when are they planning to take action?"

Merida and Young Macintosh gave him an incredulous look while Wee Dingwall followed the conversation, looking a little bored. Young MacGuffin spoke again.

"Well then," Airril once again took hold of Merida, signalling she was to keep moving. "I'd best get her to the castle right away."

"What was all that about?" Merida asked, looking back over her shoulder, to the boys who were staring after Airril curiously.

The clans were called in the day you after went missing. Macara said if, a week from when you disappeared, you had not returned, they would bring you back by declaring war against Dunbroch."

"A week..." Merida thought over the days and bit her lip. "That's today."

"Which is why we have to move quickly."

Dunbroch's guards were all keeping a close eye on any kind of movement. They looked hesitant about letting Airril enter the boundaries of the castle, but Merida insisted he was fine and could follow her. No one said anything to the princess, but watched her with unreadable expressions. She felt her cheeks grow hot under their gaze and avoided looking at any of them.

"Princess," the guards Gordon and Martin were guarding the large doors to the throne room, and were the first to speak to her. "Thank goodnes you're back! -"

"- but what's happened to your foot? -"

"-and who's this? -"

"-your parents are inside. You're the only one who can put a stop to all this ridiculous nonsense." they pushed one of the doors open the slightest of amounts, and Merida felt Airril drop her hand.

"Wha-" she was stuck for words, so shook her head at him instead.

"I think it best if I were to go now. I can't walk in there with you."

"Airril, please -"

"This isn't something I should take part in. I'm sure an extra addition would only make things worse." he gave her a short bow, both of them unable to say anything in that moment, and turned to leave. Merida knew that was it. She wouldn't ever see him again, and she felt something inside of her snap.

Was that what a broken heart felt like? But...

"Airril, wait!" she called, stumbling forward. She lost her footing and fell to her knees, not caring about any fresh tears in her now over-worn dress. Airril stopped and watched her in her pathetic state. She did not try to stand again, but spoke slowly.

"I have an idea. But I need you with me. Please."

There was a long moment where they looked back at each other. Airril eyed the guards on either side of the door, who were watching them curiously, then marched forward and pulled Merida roughly to her feet.

"Well then? Let's get this over and done with."


	18. Reasoning

**I was so glad to hear so many of you would like to see a sequel! I don't know if it will be up as soon as I've finished this, but I'm definitely excited about it. There won't be too long a gap, at any rate. Merida and Airril are just too much fun.**

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The throne room was completely silent when the pair entered. Elinor and Fergus sat in their places at the front of the hall, while the Macara leaders were before them, standing regally, as if this were their clan. Hubert, Harris and Hamish were on their seat, as well, and something inside Merida ached to see them sitting still, their faces serious. That was not supposed to be. The danger here was real.

All occupants of the hall turned, their eyes widening when they saw who had entered.

"Merida," Elinor rose to her feet, beside Fergus who did the same, and rushed to her daughter, enveloping her in her arms and leaving Airril no choice but to move aside. Fergus fixed him with a studious frown and Airril looked confidently into the eyes of the man who had sentenced his father, reminding himself that he was not the enemy here.

"Oh, I was so worried about you," the queen took her daughter's face into her hands and looked over her. "What's wrong with your leg? Where were you? ...You need a bath, young lady."

Merida's arms were tight around her mother, but relaxed after a long moment, dismissing Elinor unwillingly. She craved, more than anything now, the comforting feel of her mother's body, promising the protection and love she'd been without for what had felt like so long. The princess looked to the Macara's, watching them as she slowly pushed herself forward, to stand at the front of the room beside her father and mother, who was denied at helping her daughter walk. Airril stood to the side of the hall, feeling as though he should leave.

No one spoke, but they all looked toward the door again as it opened and members of the Macara's army filed inside, standing behind their leaders. Merida felt tears threaten her eyes, telling herself this was useless, and she should have denied her stubborn attitude. It was just that attitude, however, that made her begin.

"I have returned," she said unsurely.

"We're all well aware of that." Lord Macara spoke. "And are you going to join our family quietly, or are we to put our men to work?"

"There will be no need for that." Merida said reasonably.

"We shall see."

Merida looked over the portion of their army in the hall, then studied Branan Macara. He was watching her, his face almost disgusted, and she frowned back at him before she continued speaking, watching him the entire time.

"You've come to Dunbroch to tame a young lady who, you think, is out of order. I don't truly see your reasoning behind that."

"Our reasoning," the king spoke again, while his wife lowered her eyes to the floor. "Is that a young lady should know her place, before all the other young ladies of our country follow her path and Scotland ends in disaster."

"Your reasoning," Merida replied angrily. "Is that you doubt those who are not men!"

"Merida," her father warned quietly. The princess ignored him.

"You are so desperate to tie me down and show me what you believe is the right way for me to live that you would use your son against his own wishes."

"He knows his place," the king said, and Branan clenched his jaw to refrain from speaking on his own behalf. "And will take part in doing the right thing."

"And has he spoken to you of his feelings on the matter?"

"His feelings are not important!" the king was shouting back at her now, and Branan took an overwhelmed step away from his family, raising his hands to his face in frustration as he turned from them.

"Branan," Merida knew he heard her, though he did not acknowledge her, and she glanced at his parents before continuing. "Do they know of your Una?"

"Who's Una?" Lady Macara asked quietly. Branan lowered his hands, but did nothing other than stare intently at a place on the wall. Merida decided to explain.

"Branan has already given his heart to an Una Macara. Would you truly deny him the happiness he can have with her in order to force him to be tied to myself?"

"Is she royalty?" his father watched him closely, looking rather dangerous and seeming sure of the answer he was about to receive.

Branan didn't look at him as he answered. "Her father owns a fish store."

"Then you knew from the beginning it would be impossible to have her."

"But why not?!" Merida asked angrily. A few of the members of the army stepped forward, but were stopped with the wave of their leader's arm.

"Do not question the rules of my kingdom." he threatened. "When you are already aware that you are to be his bride."

"I'll not be an easy addition to your clan." Merida reminded him. "You think giving me your name will tame me, but I know, somewhere in your mind, you're aware of the truth."

"We have ways to make you behave." he motioned to the men behind him, and Merida plastered on a smirk.

"You're not after Dunbroch," she said surely. "Our land's much too far from your own. How would you keep an eye on your people here? Make sure they were all abiding by your rules?" she saw hesitation flicker in the man's eyes. "And what happens after you rid me of my clan? When Dunbroch's gone forever, what's to keep me from being even more rebellious than I am today?"

"Marriage will sort you out!"

"I have been sorted." she said calmly. Lord Macara hesitated and Merida's own parents frowned at their daughter, wondering what she could possibly say next. Everyone in the hall's heart was racing from the argument they'd just witnessed between perhaps the most dangerous man in their country and an outspoken teenager, and no one was anything but shocked that she had not been silenced yet.

"Dunbroch has different rules to your own." she continued. Her voice was calm and quiet, and still carried to all the ears of the hall, showing just how much of a lady she could be when she tried. She even went so far as to cross her hands in front of her and pull her shoulders back, well aware that she would still not look as elegant as her mother. Not with her dirty dress in shreds, her bloody foot bandaged by a simply cloth, and her hair as stubborn as she'd always known it. "And quite recently, a rule was modified. I am now able to choose for myself who I wish to marry, and I do _not _wish to marry your son.

The king opened his mouth to speak, but she spoke over him, still calm and collected, her voice gentle and angelic, just as her mother had tried to teach her. "I am aware that you are under the impression that I ran away to escape you. That is not the case. I was chased by wolves, and lost. Airril Dunbroch," she motioned to Airril, who thought she had forgotten him, but did not look at him. "Saved my life.

"I have spent a week arguing with the most frustrating person I've ever met, and he opened my eyes to how I've behaved in the past. I can promise everyone here in this hall right now that I will never go back to taking so much for granted. Not now, when someone's opened up to me and let me see that, even though he's had a life far worse than I'll probably ever imagine, he is still able to smile and go through with things.

"The one thought in my mind that haunted me this last week was only that of returning to Dunbroch. I've been injured, I've starved, and I've become close with people I never thought I'd be able to trust. And Airril's been beside me the entire time, and though he had a good reason to let me die out there, he instead brought me home."

Merida raised her chin and looked squarely into Lord Macara's eyes. "So no, I do not wish to belong to your son. I wish only to belong to Airril." her eyes slipped to the boy's on the side of the hall, to see him watching her with a blank expression, his lips pressed together tightly. The sight of him worried Merida, and she rushed to get the next words out. "If he'll have me."

Within the next few seconds, everyone in the hall had turned to watch Airril, who rushed forward a couple of steps, then seemed to realise what he was doing and stopped. "I'll have you."

All eyes travelled back to Lord Macara, who seemed stuck for words. Merida knew she had him cornered now. In one speech she'd revealed his son's love for another, the difficulty her attitude would prove to be should he take her for his clan's own, and how she had most definitely changed within the week of her absence. Now, promising herself to a man and therefore in his mind assuring him that she was going to settle down, Merida was positive he would be having a war with his own thoughts.

Elinor was the one to break this silence. "That's all you asked for." she reminded him. "All you wanted was for my daughter to be married. You were just under the impression that you had to come here and force it upon her."

Lord Macara made one quick gesture with his left arm and the men behind him retreated from the hall. Ever so silent, he offered a bow to King Fergus, threw a filthy look to Merida, then turned to leave the throne room, his wife following loyally behind him.

Branan Macara stayed, and watched Merida until she'd descended the stairs, unsteadily on her infected foot, and met him on the floor of the room. He took her hand gently and pressed a small, unwilling kiss to her skin. His eyes did not show acceptance of her, but there was no anger, either.

"Thank you,"

She nodded and watched as he left the hall, letting go of the huge breath she hadn't realised she was holding onto only when the last of the Macara's were out of sight.

"Oh," she heard her mother's sigh of relief and a low chuckle from her father, but only turned when she felt a gently hand against her arm, guiding her, just as he had done every time she'd needed it. Airril walked her slowly to her parents, and stood aside as they enveloped her in their arms and kissed the top of her head, telling her repeatedly how much they'd missed her and how they were so proud of her, and that they loved her.

"That went better than I'd been expecting." Merida admitted with a small grin. She laughed delightedly as her brothers tackled her, sending her to the ground, her foot in the air, out of reach to them, and Elinor eyed the bandage wearily.

"Martin!" she called. The door cracked open and a guard stuck his head in. "Fetch Maudie, will you? Merida's in need of a doctor."


	19. Acceptance

The doctor had been impressed by just how much of the infected skin Airril had been able to remove. Merida had finally gotten a look at the gaping hole in the sole of her foot, and though she'd felt the urge to be sick, she was partly relieved that it was on the way to mending. She'd been told there would probably be a few months until she could walk on it again, but her fast-healing body, used to injuries, and her stubborn mind assured her it would be sooner than that.

She now sat in her own bed, the covers tight around her, comfortable in the chemise she'd slept in, her favourite bow in her lap as she unconsciously carved patterns into the wood. Her mind was else where, and every so often she would glance out of her open window and wonder what was happening in the world below her. She'd been told clans MacGuffin, Macintosh and Dingwall would be staying for a few more days, though she hadn't seen them. She hadn't seen Airril either, but she had a basket at the end of her bed full of fresh apples to remind her he was there, waiting for her to leave her quarters so he could see her again. He'd made sure to send her a whole basket every morning with breakfast.

Her brothers had also sent her presents, though they'd been delivered directly from them. They'd brought large plate of pastries and helped her eat through them only hours before.

"Merida," her mother's voice called her and she looked up to the door, where Elinor was watching her with a sad smile.

"Mum," Merida made to clear room for the woman, and Elinor took a seat beside her daughter, covering her own legs with the blankets and moving the bow out of Merida's lap to give her daughter a gentle hug. It was the first time the ladies had had time alone since Merida's return.

"Are you sure, darling?" the queen's voice asked. Merida did not need to request a clarification.

"Yes," she murmured. "I've made a promise to the Macara clan, and Airril, and I intend to keep it."

"But you were so against all of this before you left."

"But I didn't know Airril. I realise now how self-centered I could be at times. I feel like...with Airril, I'll be grounded. When I'm with him, I feel like an equal, and that's never happened before."

"An equal," the queen repeated with a small laugh. "There's definitely some truth in those words. I never thought I'd see someone who shared your personality."

"Has he been a nuisance?"

"Not at all." Elinor insisted. "But just by speaking to him, I can see why you bonded so well. He's very fond of you."

"I know," the small smile that graced Merida's lips was not forced.

"You'd better watch over him, though. I think Maudie's got her eye on him."

"Mum!" Merida threw her head back and laughed.

"Well, we did put him in a room right beside her own. I'm sure they've had bonding time in the hallway."

Merida laughed again, then fell silent, her eyebrows pulling together with a small amount of worry. "What does dad think of him?" her true question wondered what Airril thought of her father, but saying something like that to her mother would not be easy to explain.

"To be perfectly honest, Merida, we don't see a lot of him. He hasn't joined us for a meal yet, and he disappears a lot of the time. I think once you join the world outside he'll be closer with us, but now, it just seems like he doesn't feel at home."

Merida wondered if she should tell her mother, and the answer was obvious. She would not keep secrets from her any longer. "Airril blames dad for the way his life turned out. After his mother died, he and his sister lived with their father, but he was called to fight in one of Dunbroch's wars. He didn't come home, and Airril's sister was given to another family while he was forced to work on the clan's ships."

Elinor's voice was quiet. "How old was he?"

"Ten,"

"My goodness,"

"He'll come around, mum, when he realises that wasn't dad's intentions."

"We can only hope." Elinor said with a sigh. "But what about you, dear? Are you truly willing to throw away your freedom just to keep the Macara clan happy? I'm worried about you."

Merida was sure of the answer she gave her mother. "I'll find freedom elsewhere,"

}~*~{

The room they'd given Airril was spacious, but empty. There was naught but a comfortable bed, a chest of draws and a window. He longed to go and make sure Merida was alright, but knew it was not right for him to step foot into her room, despite how close they had become during their time away from Dunbroch, so had taken to walking to the sea to distract his thoughts instead.

The sun was setting now, and he'd taken a seat on the windowsil, curling his legs to his chest in the small space as he leaned his forehead against the glass barrier.

The door creaked open behind him, and he turned his head, quickly rising to his feet when King Fergus walked into the room.

Fergus waited for a bow, or a nod, or a simple "Your majesty," but it didn't come. He tried not to let on that he was amused by the boy's ignorant attitude and sat on the foot of the bed.

"Airril,"

"Yes?"

Fergus let out a low chuckle. "You seem threatened, boy. Whatever's in your mind?"

Airril kept a wary eye on the man in front of him and continued to stand. "Are you here to tell me you don't want me to marry your daughter?"

"Would you like me to tell you that?" the king seemed confused, which calmed Airril.

"No,"

"Well, I wouldn't like to say such things either, lad. It's not every day Merida's claiming her love for someone, you know."

"I doubt she loves me."

"Well, if it isn't love, it's going to take me a long time to figure out what's gotten into her. I can't set a foot in that room without her asking about you."

A small smile tugged at Airril's mouth, and he lowered himself to sit on the stone floor, still watching the king. "Is her foot healing?"

"It's going to take time, but yes, it is."

There was a long silence and Fergus cleared his throat. "Was there something you wanted to say to me? You looked ready to talk earlier."

"I've been angry at you for a long time." Airril said honestly. "You're the reason my father died, and I promised myself I would have my revenge some day. But now I don't wish to find a way to punish you. Not when you've given me your daughter."

"I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you." Fergus told him after a hesitation, not asking for an explanation. "It's not my intention to ruin any family."

"I'm going to try to understand that."

They watched each other for a long time, and Fergus was the first to speak again. "Is there something, or someone, you'll be turning your back on by marrying my daugher?"

The ocean called to Airril and he closed his eyes. "Yes,"

"What can I do to help that?"


	20. The Cost

**So this is the last chapter. I hope it makes people happy! Don't abuse me if you don't like it, please. :)**

**I will most definitely be writing a sequel to this story - I have so much fun with Merida, and also Airril. I also want to add in some Elinor/Merida moments which we had to miss out on in this story. I've planned it to be a collection of one-shot moments that explain highlights of Merida's life after this story. Hopefully it will be up very soon! I'll most likely post a chapter to the end of Freedom Costs to let everyone know it has been uploaded.**

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Merida's eyes were closed, her head thrown back, against the delightful feeling of the salty air whipping her wild hair around her face. Only a couple of hours ago the orange locks had been pulled from her face and tied tightly at the back of her head, and now they were dancing in the wind around her.

The wedding had been wonderful. Merida was feeling up to standing, agaisnst doctor's orders, only a couple of weeks after she had found her way back to Dunbroch again, and with knowledge of the small ship her father would be presenting them with at their wedding and Airril's agitation at being away from the sea for so long, she'd insisted they have the wedding quickly. There was no change to her personal life, after all. She'd been with Airril almost every day since she'd been able to leave her room so here, on their home away from home, she felt no different.

Most of Dunbroch had taken part in the celebration. The main members of clans Dingwall, Macintosh and MacGuffin had also stayed to give them their blessings, and Merida had felt honoured.

Nothing made her happier, however, than to see the young girl with the long brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes she knew so well step forward and embrace the brother she hadn't seen for nine long years. Airril had been completely taken by meeting his sister again and hadn't been able to say anything for a good half an hour, but after seeing the gift Fergus had given him and his new wife, he'd felt enough to thank the man over and over again and promise Merida she wouldn't be disappointed away from the land.

She hadn't been so far, either.

The moon now hung over the water before her as she stood out on the otherwise empty deck, her hands over the railing, intrigued by the sight before her, just as she had been the night before she'd returned to Dunbroch. She felt the presence of another, and did not have to wonder who it was before her hands were laced with those browner and more calloused. None of the young men who worked on the ship would have approached Merida before getting to know her. Especially not on the day of her wedding.

Airril stood behind her and rested his chin atop her head, winding his arms around her tightly. "Enjoying yourself out here?"

"Yes," she grinned and leaned her head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath of the frosty air around her, their silence interrupted by the water that surrounded them for as far as the eye could see on all sides. The boat was no longer moving, on Airril's orders, just incase Merida began to feel homesick and they needed to make a quick return to land.

"You don't feel like your freedom's been taken away from you?"

Merida turned in his arms so she was leaning back, against the railing of the boat and gave him a wide grin. "Freedom?" she repeated. "Airril, look where we are." she motioned to the empty air and water around them and laughed happily. "Anyone's lost their mind if they think they can chain me out here." she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss.

"I can't think of any way I'd be more free than I am right here, with you."

She grinned at his statement and closed her eyes, savouring the complete silence of the world around her, hinting that there was no one else. Airril didn't mind that she hadn't answered appropriately to his last spoken words; he had not expected her to. He knew that some day, perhaps longer a time than anyone was expecting away, she would be able to think of him the same way he thought of her. He would make sure she did. But, for now, he was happy to have her accept him and keep him beside her. To share her freedom.

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**Thank you so, so much to everyone who has taken the time to read or review my story! I did not expect to get such a response, and it's been so wonderful getting to know so many people through my writing. I hope to talk to you all again soon!**

**Chlowie, xo**


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